Warriors of Steel One-Shot Collection!
by WalrusWins257
Summary: Ladies and Gentlemen! Come one, come all to the Warriors of Steel One-Shot Collection! This'll be the buffer between any real Warriors of Steel stories I make, and will most likely supply you with the Warriors of Steel that you need during those gaps!
1. Before I Go

**Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first one-shot in our collection! This was submitted by Jono0727, and it takes place after the Battle of Ninjago City, when Kai's about to head back to Ignacia. I hope y'all enjoy it!**

Before I Go

Kai was ready. He had double- and triple-checked his equipment, had brought along his phone for the plane ride, and had memorized exactly what he was going to say to Skylor when he went.

He looked around at the kiosk that had been turned into his sleeping quarters for the two days after the Battle of Ninjago. All around, he had seen men and women heading into the planes that were sending them back home, to their families. And he had also seen many a civilian cry when they learned that their loved ones weren't coming back, weren't going to be home for another Christmas, or Valentine's Day, or Birthday.

Kai was lucky; he didn't lose any of his close friends or family in the fighting. But maybe it was just God giving him a break. After all, he'd lost so much already in the first war, and he'd done so many awful things in the second war, so it seemed only fair that both High Command and the Man Upstairs give him a little time off. Which is exactly what had happened to him.

He stood up and checked his watch. _'8:20 PM.'_ He thought. _'Ten minutes until my plane begins boarding.'_

He took a look around at the airport that had housed him for the past 48 hours. It had been a target for Darese artillery attacks when they retreated north and out to sea, but all in all it wasn't heavily damaged. There were papers scattered around the floor and a few overturned chairs here and there, but otherwise it looked to be fine.

He glanced up at the sign above him. 'TERMINAL B', it read in large bold letters. 'SERVING PLANE RED, DIVIDED AIRLINES, AND NORTHEAST.'

Kai glanced down at his ticket. "Terminal B, Northeast Airlines." He said to himself, and took a seat near the boarding station.

He closed his eyes, and tried to get ten minutes of sleep before his long journey.

"Psst. Hey buddy. Psst. Hey buddy. Psst. Hey-"

Kai's hand shot forward, slamming into the face of Lars Panrocka, who stumbled back into the chair opposite of Kai.

"Jesus, man! What the hell was that?!" The Ranger asked, clutching his nose tightly.

Another familiar face stepped over. "That, my friend, is what happens when you poke the bear." She said, her mouth curving upwards into a slight grin.

Kai looked up at her, and smiled. "Good to see you, Skylor. I thought you were catching the plane to Ouroborus."

Skylor plopped down next to him, shaking her head. "Well, I thought about it, and I decided that I didn't have anything to do there. No connections, no money, nothing."

Kai's smile slowly began to fall. He knew what this meant. "So… you're staying?"

Skylor continued to smile weakly. "The army's my life now. Fighting is what I do best. I can't even imagine getting out anymore."

Kai slid back into his chair, trying desperately to find a way to convince her to go. He didn't want to see her die, to be killed by a lucky shot from a sniper or be blown to bits by a hand grenade.

"Well, on the bright side, I'm going home!" Lars said, smiling.

Both Kai and Skylor glanced over at him, causing him to squirm in his seat.

"I'll shut up now." He said, turning back to his duffel bag.

Kai turned his attention back to Skylor, who was still upholding her weak smile. "Look Kai, I know you don't want me to stay, but I'm my own person. I think it's best that I stay as far away from my father as possible, and the only way to do that is by staying here."

Kai nodded slowly, looking at the floor to avoid her gaze.

"Do you understand?"

Kai continued nodding. "Yeah, I understand."  
Skylor reached over and took his hand in hers, grabbing it tightly.

The loudspeaker began to blare over the terminal. "Now boarding Terminal B, Divided Airlines."

Lars stood up and brushed off his uniform, which was a little dusty. Kai and Skylor stood as well, facing their friend.

"This is my flight." Lars said, smiling. "It was… nice, hanging out with you guys. Maybe, some day, we'll meet back up. Maybe I'll come back and fight with the Rangers on the Dark Island. Who knows?"

He threw up a salute, straightening up. Kai and Skylor did the same. "It was an honor serving with you guys." He smiled.

"Same to you." Skylor replied, before all three dropped their salute and Lars walked over towards the boarding area.

Kai sat down. "I really am going to miss that idiot." He said, smiling.

"You and me both."

They just sat there in silence, watching the people go by, one by one. Skylor opened up a packet of graham crackers, and began to eat them.

Kai checked his watch. "8:30. I should probably head over to the boarding area."

He tried to stand, but was stopped by something tugging at his sleeve. "Kai, wait." Skylor said, releasing his shirt.

He sat back down, looking over at her.

She set her graham crackers on the chair next to her, and bit her lip. It seemed to him that she was deciding whether or not to do something.

Finally, she leaned over and kissed him, throwing her arms around his neck. Kai was caught off guard, but quickly caught on, shutting his eyes and returning the kiss. She tasted like cherries and, unsurprisingly, graham crackers.

Kai tried to break off for air, but Skylor refused, still clutching him tightly in her grasp.

"Now boarding Terminal B, Northeast Airlines." The loudspeaker blared again, causing Skylor to finally break away.

They both sat there, clutching each other and panting.

"I…" Skylor started, but was stopped short by Kai.

He grinned at her and said, "I know." before picking up his duffle bag and walking towards the Terminal, leaving a star-struck Skylor behind him.

As he sat on the plane, watching the unlit skyline of a rebuilding Ninjago City go by beneath him, he closed his eyes, and began to will himself to sleep with one thought on his mind.

' _I love you too.'_

 **And that's the first one-shot completed! Next one will be coming out, as always, next Sunday! Until then, Adios!**


	2. I'm Here For You

**Okay, first off, my apologies for not getting this in on time. I had an extremely busy weekend, including my boss making me work overtime and a large 7-hour ceremony for those who were killed on the September 11** **th** **attacks. Anyway, I've made it now for your enjoyment. This one was submitted by MasterOfCupcakes, and it's focused around Cole and Seleil. It takes place a little while after the end of WoS. Enjoy!**

I'm Here For You

 _Another blast of light emerged from the barrel of Cole's L-19. He was in a dense and lush jungle, up to his waist in swamp water, firing at an unseen enemy._

 _To his right, he could make out Dareth cowering behind a tree, holding his helmet on his mop of brown hair with one hand and tightly grasping an P12S with the other. He was just sitting there; not shooting, not looking out at the enemy, not even running away._

 _Cole noticed other marines in the swamp water with him, all firing towards the shrubs blindly. Occasionally, one unlucky soldier who was blasting away at the bushes would be struck by a stray shot in the chest, the neck, or the head._

 _Cole noticed large hunks of what he presumed to be logs floating around aimlessly through the mucky water. How long had he been sitting here? 5 minutes? 10? An hour? 5 hours? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that he was to blow away these bushes until the Darese decided to wise up and go._

 _Lt. Dan was there, shouting at his fellow Marines. He cursed and yelled and fired again and again like a demon had taken the reigns, had taken control of his very soul. He was a madman. Cole was a madman. All of them were madmen._

 _Screaming in Darese could be heard from the bushes, then movement and a flash of grey before silence. The Lieutenant ordered a cease fire and called Cole up with him to inspect the kills._

 _Together, they climbed out of the water and into the bushes, making their way out, cutting down branches with their bayonets and making a solid path._

 _Cole halted, allowing Lt. Dan to get the first look at the damage. When he saw the Lieutenant's smiling face, he could instantly tell something was off._

 _He stepped forward, shoving past the Lieutenant._

 _Civilians. A dozen un-armed civilians lay lifeless on the mud below Cole's boots. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw that it was the Lieutenant, who told him that it was a job well done, before screaming at the Marines still in the swamp._

 _The screaming Lieutenant turned into a screaming Garmadon, yelling out a speech to the Marines, who melted into poor, hungry looking commoners, all cheering on the dictator._

 _Only Dareth remained. The Marine shoved one of the logs towards the bank of the swamp, towards Cole, who flipped it over and realized that it was the half-decomposed body of Kai, that all the logs were the rotting corpses of his friends._

 _Cole shook his head slowly, and Garmadon and Dareth and even Kai began to laugh at him. He heard a scream and whirled around, slamming his eyes shut squeezing the trigger on his rifle once._

 _He opened his eyes to find Seleil staring at him with wide eyes, blood spewing from her gut. A tear rolled slowly down her red left cheek, and she said, "Cole?" before collapsing into the mud with the other bodies._

 _The laughing continued, and Cole stepped back, dropping his rifle._

" _No…" he said, "No, this isn't real. You're not real!"_

 _He backed away further, hitting a tree, being cornered, pinned._

" _No. No! NO!"_

"NO!" Cole shouted, shooting up in the bed he shared with Seleil.

He was in a large pool of sweat. His tank-top was drenched and his forehead felt like a waterfall. He ran a hand through his mop of hair, using the other to prop himself up. His panting slowly began to subside as he realized that it was merely a dream.

He felt a hand press against his shoulder. Not a rough hand, shoving him back down, but rather a touch of the gentler nature. He slowly turned over to Seleil, who had a rather concerned look on her face.

It was a look Cole had seen almost every other night since he got back from the war.

"Cole, that's the fourth time this week." She said, looking him up and down. "I'm starting to think you seriously need psychological help for this."

Cole brushed her hand off rather roughly, but immediately felt remorse when a hurt look came across her face.

He regained composure and responded sharply. "I don't need any help. It's just a few bad dreams, nothing more. Everyone gets bad dreams."

Seleil removed the covers from around her body, stepping out of bed. She was wearing simple PJ bottoms and a T-shirt. She turned around to face Cole with a stern look on her face. "Cole Brookstone, you need to listen here and listen good."

Cole raised his hand to protest, but was immediately glared at by the woman opposite him.

"You're ignoring something. The war's changed you, and not in a good way." She said, placing her hands on her hips. "Furthermore, you really do need some form of help whether you like it or not."

Cole wiped one of his eyes with the back of his hand. "I don't need any damn help, Seleil! What do you think I have, PTSD?" He said, chuckling lightly.

Seleil looked at him, dead serious. "Yes."

Cole smile dropped right off of his face. "I… C'mon, Seleil. PTSD? I don't have that. It's not like I did anything too big or traumatizing."

Seleil wiped an unshed tear from her right eye. "I read a newspaper article last weekend about war crimes that were committed during the war." She wiped another tear, preventing it from going any further than her eye lid.

Cole shook his head, realizing what she was getting at. "No, no Seleil. That wasn't me. You know I-."

"67 civilians, Cole. Ninjagan civilians." Seleil said, allowing the tears to start falling again. She fell to her knees, head in her hands.

Cole got up to help her, before it all flooded back to him.

 _A simple night mission. That's all it was. Cole, Dareth, the Lieutenant, Marcus, and Johnny. A six man team._

 _Marcus had the flamethrower strapped on his back, making it more difficult for him to crouch down on the map that Lt. Dan had placed in the grass._

" _The town of Nom, gentlemen. Taken over and evacuated by a legion of Stone Soldiers. Our mission is to take it back or burn down the town trying."_

 _Cole grinned slightly. "No way, man. I have a good friend of mine who's from Nom!"_

 _The Lieutenant nodded in acknowledgement. "Then you'll be doing this friend of yours a favor by liberating this place."_

 _Johnny, a private in the group, raised his hand. "A battalion, sir? How many is that, 60 troops? 6 on 60 doesn't seem fair to me, sir."_

 _Dan nodded. "That's why we've called in the 12_ _th_ _Ninjago Defense Wing." He grinned. "They'll soften 'em up for us, then we'll storm in and torch the bastards."_

 _Dareth raised his hand as well. "Sir, can we be positive that the village is free of civilians?"_

 _The Lieutenant shrugged. "High Command's intelligence is usually on-point, so I'd take their word if I were you."_

 _Dareth gave a nod, reassured now._

" _Any more questions before we move out?"_

 _The group remained silent._

 _The Lieutenant nodded, grabbing his map. "The village is about half a mile south-west. The 12_ _th_ _'s already started the bombing."_

 _Indeed, Cole could hear the screaming of a bomb being dropped, and the loud 'BOOSH!' of a shell hitting the ground.  
Funnily enough, however, no anti-air installations were firing back at the bombers as they flew overhead. Cole brushed it off as a lack of supplies._

 _About a minute later, the Lieutenant crouched down in the grass, followed by his squad._

" _I've called in. The bombers are making their last run. Then, we hit them hard and burn them until they look like my mother's crispy chickens." Dan said, earning strange looks from his squadmates._

 _Cole squinted. "I can't see five feet in front of me in this dark, man." He whispered do Dareth._

 _The second Marine replied in his own hushed whisper. "Just shoot anything that moves. Sun'll be coming up soon. Then it'll be easy pickings."_

 _The last bomb fell, and the night went silent._

 _Lt. Dan rose and yelled at the top of his lungs, charging into the bombed-out village with the fury of a thousands torrents. He was followed closely by his squad, also yelling and running._

 _Cole saw someone fleeing a building. It was a shorter person, but a person nonetheless. He fired twice and watched the person go down._

 _It was a slaughter from there. Everyone they saw would be shot, burned, or blown up. No return fire was ever given._

 _Cole gave a thumbs up to Marcus, who was going to town with the flamethrower. Two people danced around in the fire, being burned alive. Marcus set alight a wooden tavern, laughing with Johnny as it went up in smoke._

 _Dareth was especially doing a good job. He had fixed his bayonet and was hacking and slashing his way towards the city hall. The first rays of the sun were coming up, and Cole tripped on something. Something moving._

 _Cole stood and prepared to riddle the body with bullets, but a hand was raised. Cole could make out that it was a woman, and she spoke perfect Ninjagan. "P-please… stop…" she muttered, before the last oxygen escaped her lungs and her hand fell to the dirt._

 _Cole turned to his squad mates, who were still murdering anyone they could find._

 _He heard Johnny call from the other side of the town. "Hey, who wants to see me go to town on this Darese lady's corpse?!"_

 _Cole shuddered, then vomited at the realization of what he and his squad had done. "S-STOP! NO!"_

 _He dropped his rifle and began sprinting towards his squad mates. "Stop killing! This isn't the Stone Army! We're killing civilians!"_

 _The sun continued to ascend over the horizon, casting an eerie light on the town. Marcus stopped torching and looked at Cole, who tackled him and began shaking his shoulders. "CIVILIANS!"_

 _Marcus looked over at a body he had just crisped. He noticed that the body was very short, only about 4'8. Under the new light, he could make out a child's shirt that said 'Birthday Boy!' on it._

 _Marcus lost it. He flipped Cole off of him and ran to the boy, grabbing his burnt shoulders and hugging him tightly. Cole couldn't make out what he was saying to the deceased youth, but he thought he heard "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" escape his lips._

 _Cole stood and continued his run, finding Lt. Dan leaning against a wall, breathing heavily._

 _Cole realized that the Lieutenant had figured out as well. The Marine placed a hand on the shoulder of his Superior Officer, who shook his head and muttered quickly, "No. Go tell the others. I… I'll be alright."_

 _Cole removed his gloved hand, nodding slowly, and bolted further towards the town hall. He could make out Dareth cheering. "You got 'er, Johnny! Show that dead Darese fool who's boss!"_

 _Cole almost ran into Dareth, and got his first glimpse at Johnny since they raided the town. Cole turned and vomited again right behind Dareth, who stepped forward and patted Cole's back._

 _Cole looked over at Johnny again, rapidly shuddering with his eyes widened._

 _Johnny was defiling the corpse of a younger Ninjagan woman. Cole ran up and shoved Johnny off of the poor woman, who's pants had been flung aside._

" _WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, MAN!?" Cole shouted, pointing out at the town that was now being bathed in sunlight._

 _Johnny's eyes widened. Dareth collapsed to his knees. Marcus and the Lieutenant came over, sitting in front of the town hall with them._

 _They cried until the QRF arrived. They did nothing but cry as they lined up and counted the civilians. 67 in total. About 20 of them were charred beyond recognition._

 _As Cole rattled back in a truck full of supplies, surrounded by his squad mates who were all deep in thought, he muttered a single phrase. "I'm sorry, Seleil."_

Cole's memory cut through him like a knife. "We didn't know, Seleil." Now tears were sliding down his cheeks, falling onto his shirt. "We didn't know that there were civilians. We didn't know that we were going to end up massacring your home town. We thought we were liberating it."

Seleil shook her head. "There is no liberation in war, Cole. No heroes. No villains. There's just constant violence. No end in sight to the large conflict that plagues humanity. And until you find that out, Brookstone…" she sighed. "You won't be complete."

She walked back in bed, tear streams still clear on her face. "If you need anything, I'm here for you." She kissed his cheek, before sliding down under the covers. "Good night Cole."

Cole looked a little shocked for a moment, before responding, "Good night, Seleil."

 **So, that was a little sad. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you didn't, leave what I should work on in the reviews. Adios!**


	3. UPDATE

Okay. I was hoping I would never have to make an update, but I knew eventually it would broil down to this.

As you know, I have not been consistent in my chapter schedule of "one chapter every Sunday". My bad, of course, for not doing it the way I said I would.

The point of this update is to inform you of a few things on my to-do list.

First and foremost, I'd like to inform y'all that my schedule is changing. WoS One-shots will now be placed randomly. I'll try to fit in one every week, but looking at my schedule, I just don't know exactly when I'll have time to post the one-shots.

Second, I have a few story ideas that I'm brainstorming on, but none are guaranteed yet. The most likely idea is set in WW2, with each of our ninjas fighting for a specific country [Kai for Japan, Jay for USSR, Cole for Germany, Zane for Britain, and Lloyd for America]. It'll follow their journey throughout the war.

That's about it for me. Just wanted to make sure you guys knew the drill. Until I can find time to write another one-shot, adios!


	4. Lt Dan, Where are your legs?

**Okay, so I want all of you to come up to New England, walk into my house, and smack me as hard as you can for not updating sooner. Hopefully now that I'm out of my job, I'll be able to update more often. But enough of my ramblings. Here's 'Lt. Dan, where are your legs?':**

"Private Dareth Turner, 9th Math Division. No, wait, that's not right…"

The Marine was trying to introduce himself to a telephone pole he had met while casually strolling down the street. "Private Timmy Turner, 9th Marine Division. Ugh, no! You idiot!"

Dareth smacked himself over the head, before sighing slightly. _'Maybe I shouldn't have had all that champagne…'_ , Dareth though, before silently cursing Nya under his breath for having the delectable drink that was the cause of his folly.

Dareth returned to suave mode, putting a grin on his face and leaning on the pole he was trying to flirt with. "But my name doesn't matter; no, what matters is _your_ name, darling."

He awaited a response, but he got nothing, most likely because he was talking to a telephone pole. "The quiet type, eh? I like that." He glanced down at his wrist, which was especially odd because he didn't have his watch with him. "Oh shucks, would you look at the time? It's half-past twenty-two! I gotta go darling. Until we meet again…"

He winked at the pole and continued to strut down the quickly emptying street of Ignacia. At least, he thought he was strutting. In reality, he was stumbling and near-falling as he moved, his arms flopping at his sides.

The Marine spotted his target: the long line of AT-45 tanks that housed the other soldiers who were at Ignacia.

He stumbled up to the first Marine he saw, who happened to be Private Rodney. His lip was still purple-looking from his scuffle with Cole two days earlier.

"Hey Rodney! How many fingers am I holding up?" Dareth grinned and held up 6 of his fingers.

Private Rodney looked confused for a moment. "Are… are you alwight, Daweth?" His voice had a lisp because of his busted lip.

Dareth shook his head once, then thought for a moment, and nodded. "Just answer the question, Rodney."

The Private shrugged, and quickly said "Sithks."

"WROOOONG!" Dareth shouted at the top of his lungs, causing Rodney to flinch slightly. "The correct answer is 23 fingers! FOOLED YOU!"

Dareth proceeded to run off, leaving a very confused-looking Private standing in front of an AT-45.

The next man Dareth ran into was just the man he wanted to see: Lieutenant Chris Dan, acting commander of the 9th Marine Division.

Dareth pouted, furrowed his eyebrows, and stomped towards the Lieutenant, who was checking how many tents were set up.

Dareth stopped directly behind the poor officer, and shouted at the top of his lungs: "LIEUTENANT CHRISTOPHER DAN, 9TH MATH DIVISION, I'D LIKE TO HAVE A WORD WITH YOU, SIR!"

The Lieutenant, seemingly unfazed, did a 180, looked up at Dareth, and shouted back: "PERMISSION GRANTED, PRIVATE DARETH TURNER, 9TH MARINE DIVISION! SPEAK NOW!"

Dareth lowered his voice. "Well, sir, y'see, for these last few months… I've just…" He sighed, seeming more serious. "I can't keep my eyes off of your…" He smiled from ear to ear, and once again shouted: "HOOOOOT BOOOOOOOODY!"

The Lieutenant gave him an odd look, before smacking him square across the face and plopping down onto a tank. "Okay Private Turner, either stop wasting my time, or tell me what you're really here for and-… wait, are you crying?"

Dareth indeed had tears streaming down his face. "Oh… Lieutenant Dan… I'm so sorry for what happened to you…"

The Lieutenant continued to look confused, before asking, "What the hell're you talking about, Private?"

"Lieutenant Dan, where are your legs?" Dareth replied between sobs.

By now, Marcus MacEirne and Johnny Mercas, two more Marines from the 9th Division, had joined in.

"Hey, Lieutenant, is Crap-Stain drunk again?" Marcus inquired, glancing down at the crying Dareth.

Lieutenant Dan would glance over at Marcus. "It would appear so, Corporal MacEirne. Why don't you and Private Mercas take him over to your tent. Have him sleep outside, and give him some rest."

Johnny snorted, before shouting, "Yeah, okay MOM! Can you cook me some Mac and Cheese while I'm gone?"

The Lieutenant gave the Private a death stare, which caused him to yelp, run forward, and grab Dareth by the legs. He dragged the Marine towards his own tent, leaving Lieutenant Dan and Marcus standing there.

"… So, you got any plans later, 'Hot Body'?" Marcus chuckled, earning a groan from the Lieutenant.

"I should've joined the Navy…" He said, before hopping off the tank and waltzing towards his own tent.

The next morning, Dareth awoke to someone kicking him lightly. "Hey. Hey, get up, Crap Stain."

Dareth clutched his head, groaned, and glanced up to see a very pissed off Cole Brookstone looming over him. "Didn't I tell you it was a bad idea to come out here?"

Dareth continued to look up at him. "Why, did I miss something big last night?" He asked.

Cole flinched, remembering the sounds coming from Nya's room the night before. "Well, maybe it _wasn't_ such a bad thing that you came out here." The Marine shuttered, before bringing Dareth to his feet.

"C'mon buddy. Let's get you back to the Smith House." Cole said, helping him to walk back.

 **Well, that was my humor fic about Dareth's crazy shenanigans. I hope you enjoyed, and there'll be another one-shot out next weekend. Adios!**


	5. Catching Chen

**ALRIGHT! I got it here a week late, but it's here. Hopefully, I can keep this up until Warriors of Christmas, and take a quick break until the summer so I'll be ready to type up the Warriors of Steel sequel (still working on a title. If you have any suggestions, then don't be afraid to tell me)! Now, here's 'Catching Chen'!**

Zane Julien was a warrior. He lead the best Special Operations team on the planet, and had been to nations all over the world: from the Dark Island to Cloud Kingdom to the now-destroyed Djinjago to Chima and even the Underworld.

But now he was off to a place he hadn't been to before: The Tournament Island, held by the Chen Cultist Crime Family.

The HK-25 Transport Helicopter jolted a tad as Zane glanced out of the window and down at the water. There, below him, were about 70 Marine transport crafts, with about 30 Marines in each that made up half of the 9th Marine Division.

He glanced up at Henry "Hank" Jones, who was adjusting his CL-19. Usually, the soldier used an M28 Sniper rifle, but there was no need for this mission.

The other member of their team, one Luicha Khatosi, was back at the ship, using a drone to track their every move.

Zane looked back down at his own CL-19, deep in thought. _'Another day, another death. That's just my life now, isn't it? Kill for country, die for country. It's a vicious cycle.'_ He pulled the bolt back on his rifle. _'Why can't I just live my life the way I want to? Why did I have to be plagued with the death of my father? Why did-'_

He was interrupted by a massive explosion that rattled the helicopter. Smoke began clearing in from the cockpit as the entire HK-25 went into a downward spin.

Zane heard hacking a coughing coming from one of the pilots, who shouted, "This is Gabriel 1-2, we've been hit and are going down! Repeat, we are going down! Request imme-"

And then they hit the ground and the world went dark.

About a kilometer south of the crash site, Privates Cole Brookstone, Dareth Turner, and Johnny Mercas were sitting in a shaky transport ship that was whisking them towards an island that they didn't need.

The only real reason that they were here was because that nut job Chen decided to start funding the Darese in the war. No war goals, no major achievements, nothing.

Cole looked over at Johnny, who was reading from the hardcover Holy Bible he kept in his left-breast pocket. He then looked at Dareth, who was doing his own pre-battle ritual: texting his girlfriend in Ninjago City.

Cole glanced at Dareth's phone. "Did you just send her a kissy face? As we're about to go and kill some Pirate Cultists?"

Dareth shrugged. "It's the 21st Century, bro. Get with the times." He replied, before slipping the phone into his back pocket.

"Whatever man. I just think that-" A loud explosion could be heard above them.

"What the hell was that?!" Johnny asked, standing up quickly.

One of the officers began shouting into his radio, and received shouts in return. He turned to the Marines behind him. "They've got AA instillations all over the place, and they're picking our helicopters right out of the sky!"

Another explosion was heard, this one further away. The officer scrambled back to his radio, and received new orders.

He drew his P12S and walked in front of the soldiers. "The Pirates have got mines set up for the rest of the way. We've got to head out on foot for the remaining fifty meters!" He shouted, before going to work on getting the door to the transport open.

Cole and the other Marines stood up as the door opened. One by one the Marines leaped into the waist-high water and worked their way towards the beach.

The sun was just dipping beneath the horizon. The color mixed with the smoke, giving the sky a brownish-hue. Cole trudged through the salt water, rifle in hand and smoke in his eyes.

A marine in front of him triggered an underwater land mine, which exploded, killing him and four other Marines around him. Cole took it as a healthy reminder to watch his step.

The beach was now only 10 yards in front of Cole. He picked up the pace, running out of the water, followed closely by Dareth. They could no longer see Johnny, who had fallen behind them on the initial way there.

They were immediately met by heavy resistance. Pirates wielding DR-21s began their barrage of lead towards the beaches. Cole dropped to his knees, aimed his L-19, and eliminated two pirates on a large rock.

The sky was now clouded with smoke. The sound of mines exploding mixed with gunfire deafened Cole. He tried to find Dareth, but the playful Marine was nowhere to be found. Cole stood and broke into a run towards the rocks ahead of him.

Not far behind Cole, Johnny Mercas was having his own trouble. First, a marine two meters away from him stepping on a mine, sending the poor private flying towards the beach. Then, he had been forced to leave his rifle in the water, as it had been snapped in two. And now-

 _Crack! THWAP!_

Johnny fell onto the sand, breathing heavily. He checked his vest as to find where he'd been hit, and felt a hole in his left breast pocket. He waited for something, any sort of physical feeling to hit him, but he felt no pain in his chest.

Curious, he reached into his left breast pocket and removed the Holy Bible from within. There, lodged within the thick pages of the book, was at inch of lead, poised at Johnny's heart.

Johnny chuckled. Then he laughed and laughed. He just lay in the beach as Marines ran all around him, fighting and dying for Ninjago.

Back near the front, the Marines had made a break. The feeble defenses the pirates had set up were no match for the AT-45s that the Ninjagans had deployed on the beach to combat their new enemy.

Cole ran past the rocks with 40 other Marines and an AT-45 that rolled forward at top speed. They found themselves on a hill overlooking an extremely large factory surrounded by forestry.

The factory, which on a normal day might be bustling with activity, was now empty, as though the workers there had participated their leaving.

"Alright," one of the officers said. "I'm taking 10 of you to search that factory. The rest of you, stay here and watch our backs."

The officer, with his band of 10 Marines, rushed down the hill. They stopped at the wide front doors of the factory. Cole could see the officer's lips moving, but couldn't make out what he was saying. Then, they blew down the doors and entered the large building.

Cole heard gunfire coming from within. One of the Marines, who was clutching his stomach, flailed out the door and slumped onto the ground. The gunfire ceased for a moment, but once again the silence was ruptured as the entire factory exploded into a ball of flame.

Pirates who seemingly came out of nowhere began firing at the remaining 30 marines from all sides. "AMBUSH!" A marine called. The call echoed, but was out-done by the large amounts of gunfire.

About 10 pirates were at the bottom of the hill, residing in a small building next to the factory. Cole went over to the tank and began pointing at the building and screaming for them to shoot it. Sure enough, the tank turret rotated, and a blame of flame erupted from the barrel.

Half a second later, the building exploded, as the 10 Darese were all killed by the AT-45. This gave the Marines moral, who began fighting their way to the bottom of the hill.

A mere 200 meters north of the Marines, Zane Julien was starting to stir. His radio was buzzing like crazy, and he thought he could hear talking in Ninjagan coming from in front of him. His vision was coming back, and he could barely make out the voice of Luicha Khatosi coming from his radio.

"Zane! Do you read me?! They're all around you, you have to go!"

Zane felt his head, and found no blood. He stood up in the now sideways HK-25. He found and grabbed his CL-19, before walking towards the cockpit. Henry was talking to himself next to the body of one of the pilots.

Zane nudged his squad mate, who glanced up at him with a cautious look on his face. "Hank, we have to leave, now."

Hank locked eyes with Zane and nodded, before picking up his rifle and standing in the cramped quarters.

The only exit Zane could see was the back door, which appeared to be wedged between the rear of the helicopter and the ground. He tried to think of a way to open it, but his head was seriously starting to obscure his thinking.

"Start looking for a way out. If we don't get out of here soon, we'll both be dead, and all of this'll go to waste." Zane began searching desperately for a lever or hatch. He was getting so desperate that he was considering blowing up a part of the helicopter, which would certainly kill the two Operators.

His calls were answered, however, when Henry called out from the center of the overturned vehicle. "Heads up! There's a hatch over here, but it's stuck!"

Zane could hear gunfire nearby, so he acted quickly. He got behind Henry and began pulling as hard as he could in an attempt to get the door open.

Henry cursed, and stood up. He aimed and fired two shots at the hatches' hinges, causing them to break. The door fell, and the two soldiers crawled out of the HK-25.

The gunfire was drawing nearer, and the sun had finally set, leaving the field the helicopter had crashed in bathed in total darkness. Henry expressed this clearly as they headed for what they thought was the tree line.

"Man, I can't see five feet in front of me," he whispered to his Captain as they slowly crept forward, "maybe we should stop for the night and wait until dawn to move on Chen's palace."

Zane considered this as the two reached the dense woods. "Alright. We'll travel a few more miles northward and set up camp. Until we get there, only one light source. We need to minimize our signature."

Henry nodded in the darkness. "Understood." He watched as Zane flipped on the flashlight located on the underside of his gun.

The two wandered deeper into the woods, not knowing what awaited them in the night to come.

About a kilometer southeast of the Operators, Cole, Dareth, and six other Marines were hopelessly lost in a small stretch of woods.

They had been split off from the remaining 22 Marines and their AT-45 during the ambush. All eight had decided to bolt in an attempt to get out of the line of fire, and they had ended up hundreds of meters from their fellow soldiers.

They now trudged in the darkness, armed with nothing but their weapons, their wit, and themselves. Not one of them had a flashlight, so they all had to travel in a single file line, with Sergeant Handano leading them. The Sergeant watched his step closely so he didn't step on any mines or trigger any traps the retreating Pirates had left for them.

Cole was covering the rear, occasionally turning around to see if anyone was following them.

A marine in front of him nudged Dareth slightly, causing the man to glance back at him.

"I can't see crap in here. How do we know that we're headed the right way?" The younger Marine whispered, just loud enough for Cole to overhear.

In the darkness, Cole could just make out Dareth adjusting his rifle against his shoulder as he walked. "I have faith in the Sarge. I'm sure he knows exactly what to do in a situation like this." Cole, though he couldn't see him, knew that Dareth was smiling while he said it.

But even with Dareth's optimistic view, Cole was unsure that Sergeant Handano really did know which way to head. He check his digital watch, which was faintly illuminated; just enough for Cole to be able to read it in the faint glow of the moonlight through the trees.

' _12:36,'_ he thought, _'We've been wandering for over 4 hours. My legs are killing me!'_

He stopped for a moment, quickly noticing that they had reached a ledge overlooking a well lit area.

It had appeared that large lights had been set up all around, revealing a large clearing with a smoldering HK-25 Transport Helicopter smack dab in the middle. They were at least twenty feet above the clearing and around 40 feet away. Not only that, but there were at least 30 Pirates down there scavenging the crash and ripping apart the chopper for valuables.

The eight Marines all crouched at the hill, although it wasn't necessary, considering they were practically invisible with all the brush and the darkness. The Sergeant raised his rifle towards the chopper, examining the situation.

After a while, he lowered rifle once more and turned to his Marines. "Alright boys. I count 27 hostiles down in that clearing. I can't see any movement or anyone wearing a Ninjagan uniform down there, but that doesn't mean that there weren't survivors. Take caution."

He once again raised his rifle and began working out a plan. "Two of you are to stay on top of the ledge and provide covering fire. The remaining six of us will move towards the helicopter. When we're within 25 or 30 feet, we'll drop these targets, Hoorah?"

The Marines whispered "Hoorah," in agreement, before preparing for the plan. Two Marines that Cole didn't know opted to stay on the ledge, leaving the rest to slowly make their way down the ledge one at a time.

When that was all settled, they began moving, single file once more.

Cole thought he heard something coming towards them. It sounded choppy, and it was coming from nearby. He tried to tell the Sergeant, but was instead ignored. The Sergeant gave the signal to the two Marines on the hill.

Pops began echoing from behind them, and Pirates began to drop. Cole raised his L-19, took aim, and gunned down a pirate who was reaching for a DR-21.

The chopping sound got much, much closer. Much too late, Cole figured out what it was.

A KI-2 Darese Attack Helicopter soared over the clearing, which was conveniently laminated for them. For a moment, all the fighting ceased as they all gazed at the majestic helicopter.

Then, the KI-2 rotated about 90 degrees, aimed for the ledge, and launched a missile at it, engulfing the two marines up there in a ball of flame.

The situation got very real very fast. Cole grabbed Dareth, who was still mesmerized by the helicopter, and began to drag him along. After a few seconds of this, Dareth caught on, and began to run after Cole through the clearing.

The Helicopter's Machine guns opened up, cutting down Ninjago Marines and Pirates alike. The destroyed HK-25 was riddled with bullets.

"Head for the tree line! GO!" Cole shouted back at Dareth, taking a quick glance to make sure that the soldier was still behind him. Sure enough, Dareth was stumbling quickly with all the weight of their packs.

Dareth solved the problem by removing his pack, dropping his L-19, and removing his utility belt, leaving him totally defenseless accept for a multi-role knife and a cell phone.

Cole sighed quickly, before diving into the tree line, losing his helmet along the way. He heard a crash of bushes as Dareth did the same, leaping into the bushes with the grace of a trash can falling down a stairwell.

Cole got up and continued running until he could no longer hear the chopping sound of the KI-2 rotor blade. He was completely out of breath, and so, he could tell, was Dareth.

Only know did Dareth realize his grave **[A/N: Pun]** mistake of leaving behind his rifle. Seeing his dilemma, and not wanting to see his defenseless friend get his head blown off, Cole slid his P12S out of his holster.

He handed the pistol to Dareth, who examined it, before pushing back the hammer with his thumb and marching deeper into the forest, with Cole close it tow.

 **Cliffhanger. I know these are supposed to be called "one-shots", but I'm a rebel, so I break the rules. I also break the expectations by not doing my stories on time. Anywho, I'll see you next week [hopefully] when part two comes out.**


	6. Catching Chen Part 2

**M'kay. I actually had the decency to make a schedule that works. I'm going to start releasing a Warriors of Steel chapter once a week. I don't know when, but by Sunday on every week until Christmas I'll have one. I've finally pinpointed the reason for my inability to get chapters done. See, Winter is coming up, and with Winter comes Science Fair. Like I have said time and time again, I'll do my best to keep up with deadlines.**

Catching Chen Pt. 2

Ferocity. Hunger. Violence.

All of these three words were perfect to describe Kai Smith complaining to his sister and good friend in his living room.

"You said you were going to get chips from the store, Nya!" He roared out, throwing his hands up in the air.

His sister, who was sitting with her legs tucked under her chin on the couch, glanced back up at him. "Well, I lied. There are apples in the fridge if you'd like." She grinned at him, knowing that she was the one who had caused all of this anger.

Kai continued pacing back in forth in front of the TV, which greatly annoyed his friend, Jay Walker.

"Hey Kai, I know you're pissed off and whatnot, but could you do your whining in the kitchen or something? I'm trying to watch the Planesons." He tried to beckon Kai away using the remote, waving it towards the kitchen situated behind the spacious living room.

"What are you, five?! THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ME, WALKER! This is a matter of life or death! Love or hatred! Satisfaction or hungriness!" Kai shouted at the pilot, who was also sitting on the sofa with his arm around his girlfriend.

Jay gave him a confused look, before muttering quickly, "Dude, it was a bag of chips."

Kai flipped out. "THAT'S IT! I'M GOING TO THE GOD DAMN STORE TO BUY MYSELF A GOD DAMN BAG OF GOD DAMN CHIPS WITH MY OWN GOD DAMN MONEY! AND THERE'S NOT A GOD DAMN THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!" He exclaimed, before storming out of the house and slamming the door behind him.

The couple on the couch heard a door on the second floor of the house open and a woman calling down to them. "Hey, can you quit the shouting? I'm trying to get my application for Ninjago University done!"

"Sorry Seliel!" Nya called up to her friend, before turning towards her boyfriend. "It's only two weeks before Seliel and I have to go back to campus in the city. You've still got a chance to enroll as a freshman and get out of the air force." She sounded as though she was pleading with Jay.

"A freshman? At 22? I've already missed three years of college, what's the point in starting now?" The pilot replied, looking over at Nya, who sighed slightly before turning back to the large flat screen television situated in front of her.

"Forget it. Just go back to your little planes and fight. You could stay on the Dark Island forever for all I care." Nya said, now sounding more ticked off than anything.

Jay furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Hey, are you alright, Nya?"

The girl sighed yet again, before picking up the remote. "Yeah, sorry. I just-... nevermind. Let's just watch something else." She flipped through channels, before stopping on something that caught her eye.

It was the news channel. Chet Chipman's picture perfect face flashed on the screen next to footage of Ninjago Marines firing rounds into a forest.

Chet began speaking. "Yes, it does appear that the Marines have just broke through the second line of defense on Chen's Island, but not without casualty. Of the 2,100 marines who have landed on the island, over 900 have already perished. This adds on to the 9th Marine Division's 2,000 casualties already suffered while defending Ninjago." He brought his hand to his earpiece. "Hang on folks, we're receiving words from one of our sources that an NNSOG team has also been deployed to the island to assist in the landing."

Nya sighed. "I guess Cole's already back to fighting. Funny how that is, right?" Her voice sounded shaky.

Jay only nodded in response, his eyes still glued to the picture of the Marines lighting up a large batch of forestry.

A little over 3,000 miles away, Cole Brookstone was still trudging his way through a Darese jungle with Dareth Turner only a few feet in front of him. Both men were tired and hadn't slept in over 24 hours.

Cole was armed with an L-19 rifle with a bayonet attached to the end. Dareth was tightly clutching a P12S handgun. He also had a fragmentation grenade strapped to his belt, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

Dareth, who was the less physically fit of the two, finally slumped over onto a tree, his helmet making a _Thud!_ sound when it made contact with the wood.

Cole crouched down. "Maybe it's time for a little break." He said in a lower tone.

Dareth, who was still panting, nodded slightly. The man had bags under his eyes and looked as though he was about to fall asleep. "How… how far have we gone?"

Cole checked his watch, which had cracked from his dive into the woods after encountering the KI-2.

"It's about 10:17 A.M., which means we've been traveling for a little under 10 hours. We must've gone at least 10 kilometers." The Marine said to his companion, who was still holding his P12S.

"Y-yeah." Dareth's stutter was followed by a bit of silence. It must've been a strange sight, two Marines sitting in a dense jungle both covered in mud and listening to the soft crackle of gunfire to the north.

But for Cole, it was all in a day's work.

Two kilometers north of the two Marines, a large battle was happening outside of a large compound.

Soldiers from the Ninjago Marines were firing into the walls of the compound, which was being guarded by a large group of pirate cultists, all armed with DR-25s.

One of the members of this Task Force was none other than Zane Julien, who was currently taking shots at a group of pirates trying to hold at the main gate.

A shorter Marine holding a radio in one hand and a P12S in the other ran up to the NNSOG operator. Zane could see that the man's grime-smeared tag had the name 'Handano' plastered on it.

"What do you need?!" Zane shouted over all the excessive gunfire around him.

The Marine ducked down behind a small boulder a few feet away from the Captain. "I'm Sgt. Hanado of the 9th Marine Division! Our acting commander, Lt. Dan, is too far south to give orders! He's on his way with an extra 120 Marines to try and help us out! Until then, I've received word that you're in charge of the 50 Marines we have here!"

Zane cursed under his breath. He thought of a good way to tell the Marine to buzz off, but then immediately realized the convenience of the situation. Why have 2 people try and kill Chen when you can have 50 people do it?

Zane turned back to the Marine. "What's our word on air support?!" He asked, before firing two shots from his CL-19 towards the wall.

"The 19th Ninjago Bomber Wing is on standby, ready for attack coordinates on my command, sir," the Sergeant replied. "But it doesn't seem like a good idea! We're less than a hundred meters from the palace! Anything they drop will be danger close and-"

"Do it!" Zane interrupted him swiftly, causing the Marine to glance up at him.

"Pardon, sir?"

Zane turned back and squeezed off another round. "Did I stutter, Sergeant? Tell them to drop a payload on the front gate! Don't hold back!"

The Marine began to protest to Zane. "We're too close! It's suicide, sir!"

Zane once again cursed, and looked at the Marine. "When I give the signal, tell the soldiers to withdraw another hundred meters, and then call in the payload!"

Sergeant Hanado nodded, and dashed off to tell his Marines what to do. While he did that, Zane looked over to his right, where Henry was lying down on the ground and picking off enemy pirates like a marksman, which he technically was.

"Hank!" Zane called, causing the marksman operator to look over at his friend. "When the sound of a really close plane goes overhead, keep your head down! When the plane sound goes away, follow me closely, yeah!?"

The sniper gave him a thumbs up, and went back to shooting the enemies on the wall.

Sergeant Hanado returned back, throwing a quick salute up at Zane. "All the Marines are informed and ready to roll, sir!" He shouted over the continuous cracking.

"Alright," Zane replied softly, "Tell them to rush back and then call it in!"

The Sergeant nodded, turned, and began screaming for the Marines to fall back to the treeline. The Pirates, thinking they were successful, began jeering down at the soldiers.

Sergeant Hanado lifted into his radio, and began speaking to the pilots of the bombers. "Wally 2-3, this is Jinx Actual! Drop your payload at the wall on grid square ., danger close, over!"

A burst of static returned through his radio, before he got a quick reply. "Copy all, Jinx Actual, this is Wally 2-3. We're heading in for bombing run now. ETA 25 seconds, over."

Zane turned to the sergeant. "Now head back with your other Marines! When the wall comes down, you all rush in after us!"

The sergeant once again nodded and took off, leaving Zane hiding behind a tree with his rifle.

Yet kilometer and a half south of Zane, two Marines heard a loud roar over the trees above their heads.

Cole looked up just in time to see a pair of BP4 Bombers soaring overhead, heading northward.

He looked back at Dareth, who merely said, "That's our queue." and took off running northward.

Cole bolted after him. A few seconds later, the sound of explosions rocked the ground around them, signifying that the bombers had dropped their payload. They ran on.

They went for a solid 10 minutes before they reached the bombed out husk of Chen's palace.

The central building which once stood for the crime lord's power had now crumbled in on itself with a little help from the Armed Forces of Ninjago. The stone floors in front of the buildings had given way to a large chasm which led downward into… somewhere. Cole couldn't tell.

Now a mere 50 yards from his friend, Zane Julien had just gotten off the ground and was brushing the rubble off of himself. _'Note to self:'_ he though while making sure his CL-19 could still function, _'Make sure to get you and your squad a solid 100 yards before dropping a payload from a BP4.'_

After clearing the dust from his rifle, he rushed over to see if Henry was okay. Sure enough, the marksman was crouching behind tree, still rattled from the close explosion.

Zane grabbed his shoulder and hoisted him up. "Hey, that was one helluva explosion." He said, smiling at his friend.

Henry could only nod in reply.

Zane continued to speak. "I think the bombers got Chen. We've already lost enough today. Let's just wait for the Army boys to show up and make sure."

So they sat with their 50 Marines, killing or capturing any pirate that waltzed out of the husk.

After about two hours, HK-25 Transport Helicopters began coming in. At first, four landed near the palace's ruins and dropped off 40 Army Rangers from the 12th Ranger Regiment.

One of the first Rangers off, dressed in full combat gear complete with a helmet and L-19, rushed over to Zane and Henry.

"Hello, sir! We're here to sweep the palace, err… what's left of it, at least." He said, holding his L-19 against his chest.

Zane nodded slowly, and looked the Ranger up and down. "What's your name, kid?"

The Ranger only grinned at him.

"Private Lars Panrocka, at your service.."

 **Aaaaand another one down! I'm going to be sticking to my new schedule now, I promise. You'll get a new Warriors of Steel one-shot every week, and then, after Christmas, I'll take a little break, and get to the Warriors of Steel sequel. Just an opinion poll: What do you think I should call the sequel?**


	7. I Do It Because

**Alright, so I was debating on whether or not to do this one or Cast Me Aside first, and I went with this. Not much to say here this time around. Let's just get on with the show!**

I Do It Because…

The sound of rotors and classic rock echoed throughout the jungles of Chen's Island. Rangers and Marines bustled through a bombed out palace, bringing out artifacts, weapons, and corpses. Only six of the 119 people found already were alive. None of the 119 was Chen.

At the center of all the bustling, Zane Julien sat with his CL-19 in his lap. He was leaning against a tree watching the helicopters come and pick up whatever the Grunts found in the wreckage, then he watched the HK-25s soar back up into the sky, heading east towards Ninjago.

He had just filled out his after action report for Commander Hillsburg, who was back in an aircraft carrier on the coast.

It turns out that Zane had shot and killed 34 people during the raid and had fired off a total of 150 rounds. When he wrote the numbers down, Zane had to take a second by himself and think.

He hated killing. He had abhorred it since he was a child in his father's laboratory. And yet, day after day, he was continuously racking up a body count. Luicha had done the liberty of tallying every man's kills.

Henry had gotten a total of 673 kills while in NNSOG. Luicha had gotten 706, James, before he was killed, had 948. He wasn't that far from 1,000. Now, Zane was at 965, not a stretch from 1,000 either.

1,000 people killed by Zane's hands. 1,000 squeezes of the trigger. 1,000 souls sucked from the body. Tens of thousands affected.

Zane wondered how many families he had torn apart with his bullets. He wondered how many widows and orphans he'd made. His breathing began to quicken, his heart rate began to rapidly rise.

Zane remembered what to do in a time like this. He closed his eyes, and remembered why he did what he did daily: for his father.

 _27 years prior, Dr. William Julien and his wife, Susan, sat in a hospital room in southern Ninjago City. Susan was screaming her head off and tightly holding her husband's hand._

 _After she quieted down, the doctor who was delivering them slowly stood, clutching a fair-haired baby in his hands. He smiled from underneath his surgical mask._

" _Congratulations, Dr. and Mrs. Julien. It's a boy!" He said, before glancing up at Susan and nearly dropping the baby._

 _William was confused for a moment, before he looked up at his wife. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, and it didn't look like she was breathing._

 _The doctor who delivered them sprang into action immediately. He looked over at the nurse and called, "Call for the paramedics! We're moving her to the Emergency Room!"_

 _As the stretcher arrived, Dr. William Julien was pulled from his wife, Susan. It would be the last time he saw his wife alive._

Zane allowed his eyes to flutter open.

He had never met his real mother, but he had heard the story of his birth time and time again from his father when he was a younger man.

His breathing had steadied somewhat, so he had no reason to go any further. But he felt it was necessary to refresh his memory of such important things. He shifted his grip on the CL-19, and drifted off once more.

 _Five years after his birth, a young Zane Julien watched intently as his father worked on a small robot bird he had designed. The brown-haired doctor, alone in his quarter of the Ninjago Military Lab, had been working all day on the metal avian, and he was almost finished._

 _There was a small knock on the door, causing both of the Julien boys to snap out of their respective trances and turn to see who it was._

 _It was merely one of Dr. Julien's Colleagues in the business._

 _The man poked his head into the room. "Hey, it's 8 o'clock, Will. I'm heading out, but let me know if you need anything, alright?"_

 _The Doctor set down his tools and gave the man a smile. "Thank you, Ed. How's Edna doing with her pregnancy?"_

" _Well, we're expecting the child in about three weeks, and we're both really excited for it." The man replied, grinning at his friend._

 _Dr. Julien nodded before turning to Zane. "Zane, say goodnight to Mr. Walker."_

 _The five year old boy turned to Ed and waved. "Goodnight, Mr. Walker."_

" _Well, goodnight to you too, Zane."_

 _And with that, the man left the two alone in their quarter, still working on the robot._

 _Dr. Julien turned towards Zane for a moment. "Now Zane, one day, you'll be a scientist like me. You've certainly got the mental capacity and the will power for it. The question is, will you invent and defy boundaries for the force of good or evil?"_

 _Zane smiled brightly at his dad. "Why, Father, of course I'll fight for the force of good. I'll die for it if I have to!"_

 _Dr. Julien smiled back at his child. "Oh, your mother would be so proud."_

Once again, Zane was snapped out of his trance by the sound of a FN-34 Ninjagan Fighter Jet soaring overhead.

He grimaced lightly, the breeze caused by the helicopter rotors gently passed by, hitting his face. He glanced down at his CL-19, still fully loaded and really to fire.

How did it come to this?

He was supposed to be a scientist, a driving force in the technological world. Instead, he had joined the Navy in hopes of avenging the only one he had loved.

 _Zane Julien was now 14. He had seen the horrors of war firsthand, had watched as slowly, the scientists around the laboratory were drafted, and either were killed or just didn't come back._

 _But the war had ended two years prior, and slowly Ninjago began to rebuild. A new inventor on the block named Cyrus Borg was making breakthroughs in the scientific world. Cyrus was a good friend of Dr. Julien's, so Zane was able to examine each and every one of Mr. Borg's inventions._

 _Dr. Julien's own lab had started to re-grow. Ed Walker, after resigning and moving out into the Sea of Sand to avoid the draft, had began to send in designs for new machines through the mail. New faces, eager to make contributions in the lab, were beginning to sign up for Dr. Julien's team._

 _It was a late December night. Zane Julien had spent the last few hours studying for his Science Exam that was going to happen the following day._

 _Entering the large building's gate, he waved up at the guard box, which had tinted windows._

 _He waited for the guard to open the door, but strangely enough, nothing happened. Zane waved again, trying to get the guard's attention._

 _Finally, Zane decided to investigate. He walked over to the guard box, and opened the door. There was a cold cup of coffee and a half-eaten donut on the counter, but no guard._

 _Now Zane knew there was something wrong. He left his backpack outside of the guard box and dashed over to the security keypad._

 _He entered the eight-digit code and shoved the door open. The metal door slammed against the wall, before coming back and sliding into place._

 _The boy ran down the main hallway, past the receptionist's desk, where Nancy would usually be sitting. Yet again, though, no one in sight._

 _He continued onward, completely worried now. He bolted to his father's laboratory where he usually did most of his inventing work._

 _Zane once again slammed open the door and scanned the room. Not a single person. Not the new scientists, not the mechanics, not his father. Yet Zane did notice that a large amount of his father's objects were missing._

 _The almost-completely finished Falcon and the blueprints for the 'Juggernaut' were both gone, as though they had grown legs and walked away. But Zane knew that was improbable, as those objects are inanimate and unable to function without an energy source._

 _He left the laboratory and went to his father's office._

 _He knocked on the door, as was customary. Then he knocked again. When he got no response, he tried the doorknob. It was locked._

 _Zane then stepped back, and used his shoulder to ram the wooden door open. He pushed it too much, though, and ended up on the floor with an aching pain in his right arm._

 _As soon as the pain subsided, Zane shakily stood up and scanned the room for clues._

 _The most prominent evidence was a smashed window at the back of the room. The next was a splotch of blood on the desk and a shattered ceramic cup with pieces all over the floor. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened here._

 _There was, however, another thing Zane noticed. He saw the falcon, completed, laying on the desk. Zane took a few steps towards it, before hesitating. It was, after all, his father's work, and he probably wouldn't be very happy about his son snooping around the laboratory._

 _Eventually, though, Zane's curiosity got the better of him, and he picked up the falcon._

 _Remembering the mechanics, he lightly pressed the metal bird's stomach, allowing a compartment to open. Inside was a delicate system of wires and gears, along with a small, finely rolled piece of paper._

 _Zane removed the sheet, and unraveled it. It was very messy handwriting, not unlike his father's, but Zane could make it out. It read:_

' _My Dearest Zane,_

 _If you are reading this, then I know you have most likely pieced together what happened here and would like to know where I am. I will be fine, but just remember: always fight for the force of good. Even when I'm not here, I'll still be there with you, guiding you through the path of life. Don't worry._

 _I love you with all of my heart,_

 _Your Father, Dr. William Julien'_

 _Shortly after reading the letter, Zane called the police, who launched an immediate investigation. It didn't take long for them to come to a conclusion._

 _The following Friday after his disappearance, Dr. William Julien's body was found horribly disfigured and mutilated in a dumpster in the suburbs of Ninjago City._

 _Based on further examination, it was concluded that members of the Dark Island's intelligence unit had kidnapped the Doctor, before torturing him for hours. When they realized he was of no use to them, they shot him a total of 72 times in the chest, stomach, and head and left in him the dumpster._

Zane, with his eyes still closed, allowed a single tear to slip through his eyelids and down his cheek. He still had the letter and falcon set in his drawer at the Smith Manor.

The words Smith Manor took him back once again to a time of grief and suffering.

 _Zane Julien was 16. He had been drifting from orphanage to orphanage, making many friends along the way._

 _He had moved from Ninjago City to a lengthy time in Ouroborous, where he learned both Serpenti and Darese, to six months in the Walker Junkyard, to Jamanakai Village, where he had spent the last three months of his life._

 _Now, he was sitting in an adoption meeting with a widowed man and his two younger children, both aged about 11 years old._

 _The widowed men, who's name was Kenji Smith, was signing off the final adoption papers when his two children came out from behind his chair and began peering at Zane._

 _One of his children, a girl with a bobby haircut, walked up to the blond teenager and handed him a flower._

" _I'm Nya." She said shyly, before marching back to her brother and continuously peering at him. She asked him another question from her position behind the chair: "Are you a good guy, or a bad guy?"_

 _The blond boy looked down at the flower, and smiled. He felt a small tear slip down his cheek, followed by another, and another. He began laughing at the children, before simply replying:_

" _I'm Zane, and I'm one of the good guys."_

 **Well. That was depressing to write. I had my brother proofread this for me, and being the blubbering baby he is, he began crying halfway through. But hey, when has a few tears ever hurt? Until next time: ADIOS!**


	8. War Stories

**No, I'm not dead. Hopefully. Lately, I've been getting writers block, and not only on this. I've been working on a large writing project for my school, and it's been taking a lot out of me. But enough about me. On with the story!**

War Stories

Four men sat around a wooden table in a dimly lit cellar. The air was musky, the concrete walls were filled with cracks, and the rats had taken over nearly every nook and cranny of the area.

One of the men had a heart forged of steel. His normal life was taken from him when he lost someone very personal. He expected his path to be so clearly designed, and yet now he had so many paths that he wasn't sure what to do.

The next man was a traveling inventor for most of his life. He had grown up in a worker's environment, and had set off in his mid-teens to find good work in the city. It wasn't until he found some reliable friends and a girl he could trust that he had settled down.

The third man was one with many internal problems. He had lost his mother during child birth and had a rocky relationship with his father. He, much like the other man, was a traveler for a while. He found comfort in being able to sleep in a solid area. That is, until the nightmares set in.

The final man seemed to be the ring leader of the group. He had been born into a somewhat wealthy, yet humble family who did blacksmithing for a living. While he hadn't taken up the family business, he nor his sister had lost their bloodline's fiery nature or charm.

The last man set down a set of dog tags on the table. He gazed at each of his comrades, waiting for them to do the same.

The two travelling men set down their respective dog tags, followed not long after by the stone-hearted one. He allowed his eyes to rest on the four sets of dog tags, and quickly muttered "I'll go first…"

He leaned in, and began his tale:

"It was supposed to be simple. A hit and run. In and out. And yet it all went to hell faster than we could comprehend. Us, four boys from NNSOG, Ninjago's Elite, were sent in to complete a mission. We failed that mission.

"What was it, you ask? Well, that's classified, but for the sake of this… ceremony, I'll tell you. The mission was to find and compromise Lord Montgomery Garmadon by any means necessary. This is a brief summary of how it went down.

"We were dropped in. Our sniper, Hank, he positioned himself on a hill overlooking Garmadon's compound. Everything was going to plan. We cut a hole in the fence and made our way in through a loading dock on the south side of the compound. The real problems arose when we got to the Master Bedroom."

The man took a minute, covering his mouth with his hands and looking at his set of dog tags. "James, our captain… he swung open the door…" A small tear came out of the man's eye; a symbol of his emotions coming through. "The lights were off, and we just…"

The man to the teller's right, one with flowing jet black hair, put a hand on his shoulder. "I think we all know what happens next. Just… just go on to the next part, alright buddy?"

The speaker nodded, and continued, taking his hand off of his mouth. "W-well, after we… took the shot, we left the central building and began engaging enemy troops in the Courtyard. That's when I saw him.

"Lord Montgomery Garmadon, right there. He had one guard with him. Both of them were huddled behind a truck, and I had a clear shot.

"I made quick work of his guard, catching him off guard. From 30 yards away, we locked eyes for a brief moment. Then I remembered what we had just done to this man. To his wife…

"I let him go. I let him run when I had every single chance to end his worthless life. Why I did it, I may never know. Maybe it was pity for his wife. Maybe it was me trying to stop my killing streak. Whatever it was, Garmadon ran away unscathed that day.

"We fought our way back to the fence, but more and more guards were coming. I got hit in the stomach by a stray bullet. This complicated things greatly. We now knew that not all three of us would make it to the Landing Zone.

"It was all fuzzy from there. I remember James, standing behind a crate and sending rounds at every target he could get a shot at. I remember screaming his name, trying to get him to come with us as I was dragged helplessly out of the compound and to the helicopter.

"James was killed during that mission. It was a real loss to myself and team because we all looked up to him. But we kept on fighting, and we will keep on fighting until the Dark Island and every other nation on this world stops their aggression and oppression."

The man finished, and picked up his dog tags from the table. He put them back around his neck, signifying that he was done speaking.

The ring of men sat in silence for a moment, all letting what they just heard sink in. It was quiet. Not one of the men wanted to break the peace of the room. But eventually, the black-haired man adjusted his position in his seat, and cleared his throat.

"I'll go next." He muttered. And yet, he sat silent for a while, confusing his friends.

The one across from him, the inventor, gave him an odd look. "What's the matter Brookie?" He questioned, earning a glance from his comrade.

"I'm still deciding what to go for. There've been so, so many terrible things I've done. So many." He halted. "But the worst… the worst has to be Nom." He took a good look at the dog tags on the table, before continuing.

"Search and destroy. Destroy and search. That's all it was for us Marines. Support the tank column to destroy the anti-aircraft, search the forests for any Skulkin Warriors. You get the idea. This mission was no different. You've all heard of Nom, where Seleil grew up, right?"

All three other men around the table nodded at Cole, who scanned their faces before continuing.

"Well, it was about halfway through the defensive war. It was only five of us. Me, Dareth, Lieutenant Dan, Private Johnny Mercas, and Corporal Marcus MacEirne. We were all told that the town was void of anyone who wasn't a Darese soldier. That the resistance wouldn't be too bad.

"The 12th Ninjago Defense Wing bombed the town beforehand, supposedly softening up the enemy. The flashes of their bombs illuminated the night, providing the only light for us. When they were done, we all moved forward, following the Lieutenant in a single file line.

"We reached the town in about ten minutes, and chaos ensued. I remember Marcus, who was armed with the flamethrower. He just torched people left and right. No one ever returned fire. I knew something was off, but I just… just kept on going. Shooting and stabbing.

"I tripped over a half-dead woman lying on the ground. She was lung-shot. No hope for her. I was about to end her life when she put up a hand. She told me to stop, pleading with me using her last breath. I noticed that she wasn't wearing the traditional black uniform of the Darese military. Instead, she was wearing simple Ninjagan civilian garb. Something similar to that of a rice farmer.

"It hit me then what had happened. I ran like a madman, trying to tell my friends to stop, carrying on the message that the woman had given me. I stopped Marcus first. He had just torched a young boy. Couldn't have been older than seven. Then I got the Lieutenant, who was just as horrified as I was.

"When I got to Dareth and Johnny, Johnny was…" Cole ran his hand through his hair, looking for the right words. He came up short and decided to end it there. "I'm stuck in a loop. I want to get out. The nightmares tell me to get out. But I know that if I get out of the Marines, then there'll be no one around to protect you guys when you're fighting in the jungles on the Dark Island. I just… I dunno, man."

Eager to move on, Cole grabbed his dog tags and hesitantly slid them around his neck.

The third soldier, the inventor, leaned back in his chair. "I guess I'm next. Well, my story doesn't exactly involve the killing of civilians. I don't think I've told you guys this one yet, which is weird because I've been told I talk about this stuff too much. But enough ramblin'. Here goes…"

"We were pretty far out, my squadron and I. We were attacking an island not far off the coast of the Dark Island, near the south. We took off from one of those aircraft carriers that the Navy has. It was the four of us. Karnage, my squad leader, Piano, a good friend to have in a dog fight, and finally there was Huey.

Jay hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Huey was an odd fellow. Don't get me wrong, he was one of, if not the best pilots in the 47th. But he didn't talk much. It was like… a silent force of good always there to watch your back if a K2 decided to sneak up on you. But he didn't make it through the war. He died at Ninjago City.

"I had to go with Piano and Karnage in formal Air Force uniform to deliver Huey's things to his parents, who live in Jamanakai. I remember handing his mother the dog tags and saluting her. She just sort of went limp and collapsed on the floor in front of me, sobbing and clutching her son's tags. It… it changed me. It made me think about what you guys would do if I got shot down and was killed.

"But enough about that. Back to the story. We were making a strike on a southern airfield on an island off the Darese coast. I remember Karnage telling us to tune to Ninjagan Air Radio. I remember turning the knob and the blaring of the song Rock the Citadel.

"With the music playing, all four of us began to sing as the island came over the horizon. About a dozen LH-44s and twenty or so K2 fighters all lined up in a row. The Darese were only able to scramble one or two before he were on them.

"Karnage and Huey broke off to take out the fighters in the air. Piano and I passed over the airfield like hawks. I could see 'em running. Tiny little black dots trying to get to their K2s or their hangers or their Anti-aircraft guns. I just set loose a few missiles. One for a hanger, one for the runway, and one for the anti-aircraft gun.

"I saw Piano doing the same. It was quite chaotic, and yet… fun at the same time. It's hard to describe. The music was just so loud, and the bombs exploding left huge craters in the ground."

Jay sat there for few moments, a confused look on his face. His story was somewhat incomplete, but he awkwardly picked up his dog tags and slid them around his neck anyway, still deep in thought.

With that, the ring leader glared down at his dog tags. "You've all presented yourselves with some interesting stories. But my story ain't done yet. Mine is still in the making as we speak. It's quite the tragedy. Many a man died. And yet it's also a romance. I found a woman that I truly love. And it's also a comedy. We've have some great laughs over in the Rangers."

The final man, with spiky brown hair, picked up his dog tags and jingled them in the air. "But until my story is done, I'm going to need these." He grinned and slid them around his neck.

 **Well. I'm sure it's good to know that I'm not dead. And, well, if you're unhappy that I'm not dead… sorry, I guess? Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot. See ya!**


	9. Appreciation Day

**Well! Two chapters in one week. I suppose that makes up for missing the chapters from last week. And better yet, this one is Thanksgiving-themed! Now, for you action lovers, I don't want y'all to worry either. After Warriors of Christmas, it'll be right on to the sequel, which will be mainly action. And here's the Thanksgiving-themed One-shot!**

Appreciation Day

Cole Brookstone was full. After eating a little under a pound of turkey, two helpings of peas and carrots, and a little over a pound of cake, he was finally done with his rampage.

He had remembered the odd looks and laughs he had gotten from his friends as he gobbled down what had been placed on his plate. Kai, Jay, Nya, and Seleil had all laughed at him. Zane just gave him an odd look and continued to slowly enjoy his own meal. Cole didn't care what they all thought. He had been waiting for this moment for a full 365 days. Appreciation Day was Cole's favorite holiday, and not just because of the food.

Cole was a Ninjagan Patriot. By joining the Marines he had given his body and soul to the Nation for a two-year service period. It reminded him of what Appreciation Day stood for.

193 years prior to the meal that the Marine was having now, his ancestors were fighting alongside Darese soldiers to defend their respective islands from invading Djinjagese forces. That was the year that the two rival nations, the Dark Island and Ninjago, had set apart their differences to combat the growing threat on their shores.

And November 24th was the day that the Djinjagese commanders had surrendered their last fleet and the war was ended.

Both Darese and Ninjagan people celebrated the holiday. In fact during both the first war and the current war, the two sides had always called a three-day cease-fire for the holiday that was never broken.

Appreciation Day was quite simply a day to remember that in wars, both sides make sacrifices, and that either side of the conflict should respect those sacrifices for what they are.

"So!" Nya said, breaking through the silence that surrounded the Smith Manor's brightly lit kitchen. "I don't know if you guys are aware or not, but this is Seleil and I's last week before we have to go back to Ninjago U in the City. That means that you four guys will be alone in the house for a little under a month before Christmas. Then, I do believe you all go back to war."

Kai nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeeup. It's been a nice long break, but the Ninjagans have finally readied their fleets with the Dark Island as the target."

The four boys in the room were all prepared to go back into the fray and flurry of combat, even if some of them didn't want to. The girls in the room, who had been on break from school due to the ongoing defensive war, were also ready to go back to University.

The Headmaster at the school was confident that there was no longer a danger to students, as most of the Dark Island's aerial capabilities in Ninjago had been wiped clean. The rest of Ninjago City was also being cleaned up. Highways were being rebuilt. Borg Tower, which had collapsed during the final climactic battle on Ninjagan soil, was being rebuilt. The Town Hall had been cleaned up and Mayor Eileen Brady had returned to her civil duties, but not before giving Zane and the remainder of his squadron Mayoral Medals of Heroism. Ninjago's President had also returned to his duties at the Presidential Palace south of the Sea of Sand.

Zane glanced around the room. "I go back the day after Christmas. They need me early to conduct missions behind enemy lines so that the rest of you don't get cut down instantly on the land invasion." He said, still looking down at his cleaned plate.

"I'm pretty sure Cole goes next, about three days after Christmas." Seleil looked over at Cole, who was leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Yeah, me and the rest of the 9th Marine Division have to practice for the major naval invasion that High Command has planned." Cole said flatly, still grinning at his plate.

"I think that means Kai and I go last, a week after Christmas." Jay said, adjusting his flight jacket which he wore almost everywhere he went.

Kai shook his head. "I'm not required to go back until a week and a half after Christmas. The Rangers aren't part of the naval invasion. We're being air dropped outside the enemy capital a few days after the land invasion."

Nya looked around the table. "Well, that means that Kai is the last one out. Seleil and I go back to Ninjago U a week after Christmas. "

Kai smirked. "Better not trust me 'round the house."

"Oh believe me, I don't." Nya replied, taking another sip of wine and earning laughter from some of her other friends around the table.

"Hell, for all we know, he could burn down the damn house with a match stick!" Cole shouted, causing Jay to hoot and holler with laughter.

"I've never understood the humor here; what's so funny about Kai burning down the manor with a match?" Zane said, confused.

Jay continued to holler, shouting: "It's a joke, Zane! Lighten up, a bit, will ya?" He slapped his knee, still laughing, much to the dismay of Kai.

Cole grinned. "I haven't seen Jay laugh this hard since…" He thought for a minute. "Damn, it's been a while. Maybe even since we met."

"Yeah, how did we all meet?" Jay asked, causing Seleil to groan.

"We've told this story to each other like, 500 times!" She shouted in complaint.

"Well what's five-hundred and one?!" Nya shouted with a large smile on her face.

Seleil sighed. "Fine."

Cole sat up a little bit. "Well, Jay and I were travelling men. Of course, we had never met each other before. I had travelled through many countries: Ninjago, of course, the Dark Island, Chima, the Cloud Kingdom, Djinjago and the Cursed Realm, before they destroyed each other in that brutal war, and the Madness Realm or whatever the hell they call it nowadays . I'd even been to the undiscovered lands of the Underworld. All that before my old man passed into the Departed Realm.

"And I had been wandering the country for quite a while. Of course, I didn't have any knowledge of Zane or Jay at the time. That is, until Zane and I met at a random bar in Ouroboros."

* * *

 _A man wearing a fine shirt of silk was just finishing washing down the tables when Cole Brookstone entered the bar. The bartender, who was counting his profits for the day, immediately gestured for him to get out. "Nen nacak Moglak! Ela Karag!"_

 _Cole held up his hands. "Ana la tadath Sarpanten. Ninjaga?" He asked, waiting for the bar tenders reply._

 _"Yes, I speak Ninjagan! Now get out! Can't you see we are closing?" He said, his accent kicking through the air._

 _"I just want water. I've been walking through the Sea of Sand alone for a little over a week now." The younger man replied, fishing through the dusty wallet he kept in his pocket._

 _The bartender and the man bussing tables were both shocked. "Alone?! Are you crazy?!" The bartender asked. "You realize that if you got lost, no one would be able to help or find you, correct? The vultures would pick your skin off your body before anyone even knew that you were gone!"_

 _Cole sighed lowly. "Yes, I know the routine. Can I just have my water?"_

 _The only other occupant of the bar was a blond boy who looked to be from other lands. He sat quietly at the bar, taking sips out of a brown-hued bottle. He finally spoke up to the bartender._

 _"Ratales, lama la yuta lahe man?" He asked the bartender in perfect Serpentine._

 _The bartender began to protest, but the boy spoke again in Ninjagan. "I'll pay for him."_

 _The bartender finally gave in, and hastily motioned for Cole to sit on the barstool next to the blond boy._

 _Cole immediately sat and began talking to the boy while the bartender got him his water._

 _"Thanks a lot man, I really owe you one." He said, glancing around at the almost empty bar. "How do you know the bartender here? You don't look like you're from Ouroboros."_

 _The blond man shook his head. "I'm not. But I was sent here by my adoptive father and siblings to learn the culture and language of Ouroboros, as it would help me gain a better understanding of my country as a whole." The man stopped for a moment to take another sip of his unknown liquid. "I'm Zane Julien, by the way. I'm from Ignacia." He held out his hand to shake._

 _Cole gladly accepted it, replying: "I'm Cole Brookstone, from Jamanakai Village. I'm not that far from Ignacia, but I've never been. Weird how that is: you travel all around the world, but you've never been to your own backyard, am I right?"_

 _The bartender set down Cole's water, taking the money from Zane and stepping back behind the counter, grumbling slightly._

 _"You've been all around the world?" Zane questioned as intrigue filled his eyes._

 _Cole nodded and smirked with pride. "I sure 'ave. It's been quite an experience, and I'll tell you what: I don't regret a damn second of it. But now that I've seen everything, I don't really have anywhere to go. My dad doesn't really want me around since I quit the song-and-dance biz."_

 _Zane smiled at him. "I'll tell you what: if you tell me about your travels, I'll try and convince my adoptive parents to allow you to stay at our place when I go back next month. There's plenty of room!"_

 _Cole glanced over at Zane. Was he serious? They had just met, and he was already willing to allow him to live with him? 'Eh, what the hell?' Cole thought. 'It's not like I've got anywhere else to go.'_

 _"I'll take you up on your offer, Mr. Julien. I look forward to learning more about you and spending the next few months with you."_

"… and like that, I was living in the Smith Manor. The next few months turned into a year. Mr. Smith passed away, leaving the Manor to Kai and Nya. About a year and a month after I had joined the family, all four of us took a trip to Ninjago City. Where we met- well, I'll just tell it."

 _The air was chilly as the transition between Winter and Spring was coming to a close. It was mid-May, and the four had decided to take a holiday. Kai and Nya were both now 18, and Nya was looking for a college to go to in the city. She had taken the rest of her family along, as she wanted to know what they thought._

 _Cole was just finishing up a funny joke as they crossed in front of a shady looking restaurant._

 _"And that's when I said to him, 'It's either yes, or nope!'" Cole finished, causing laughter among his comrades._

 _The restaurant to their left, pleasantly named 'Devil's Den', was alive with noise. The most prominent of these was the sound of yelling and an apparent scuffle going on inside._

 _The four stopped in their tracks as a boy, about Nya's height, was hurled through the door._

 _"AND STAY THE HELL OUT, ROBOT BOY!"a voice called from inside of the building._

 _The boy shouted back, "It looks like your face caught on fire and someone tried to put it out with a hammer, you bastard!" He stood up and began brushing his blue jacket off._

 _Zane and Nya immediately rushed to his side. "Are you alright, sir?" Nya asked him._

 _Jay glanced to his left, and his eyes widened. "Uh… y-yeah, totally fine! I mean, I just got thrown out of a restaurant and hit my head on ice, but other than that, I think I'm a-Ok!"_

 _Zane check his arm. "Nothing here… your chin seems to be fine, as does your back. You appear to be correct, sir, you are indeed 'a-Ok'." He said, taking his hands off of the man's arm._

 _The boy grinned. "Great! I'm Jay by the way. Travelling extraordinaire! You've never seen an inventor like me! Yes, step right up, you… four fine folks, and buy an invention indifferent from the one I just used to make that bouncer crap his pants!"_

 _Nya somewhat giggled at him, causing Jay to reach into his pocket and pull out a metal box. "I believe a demonstration is in order!"_

 _Zane looked as though he was trying to remember something._

 _Cole nodded. "Yeah, I want to know what I'm getting into before I buy offa you, Mr. Jay."_

 _Jay smiled. "I'm no clown, friend! Just wait until you see this one!"_

 _He tapped the lid of the box, causing it to pop open. The box unfolded, revealing a small robot falcon inside. "A friend of my Dad's came up with this one. It was only half-finished, so I brushed up on my skills and finished it up!"_

 _Zane snapped his finger. "That's it! You're Jay Walker!"_

 _Jay calmly smiled. "The one and onl-, wait, how did you know my last name?" Jay seemed to back away, as though he were about to be mugged._

 _Zane smiled warmly at him. "It's me, Zane Julien! I lived at your house for six months back when we were kids!"_

 _Jay cocked his head for a moment. "Zane? Is that really you? Damn, you got tall!" Jay rushed over to the blond man and hugged him. Zane quickly returned the hug._

" _It's been too long, man! Too long!" Jay exclaimed, backing away from Zane and looking at the three others. "Are these your adoptive siblings?"_

 _Zane nodded at Jay. "They are indeed. I see you've finished my father's design on the miniature surveillance falcon."_

" _Do you want to buy one?"_

" _Sure, Jay. How much is it?"_

 _Jay's smile somewhat faded as he told them the price. "Well, I have no money, no food, and nowhere to live, so any of these will suffice!"_

 _Zane glanced over at his friends with pleading eyes._

 _Kai sighed. "Smiths, Brookstones, Juliens, huddle up."_

 _The four gathered in a circle, leaving a very confused Jay toying about with his mini-falcon._

" _We have to take him in." Zane pleaded. "I trust him, and he took me in when I needed it."_

 _Kai glanced at the blond boy opposite of him. "Zane, I know you want to help him, but just look at him! He's your average bum. He's just a street vendor. Just give him some cash and we'll be on our way."_

 _Nya shrugged. "I dunno, I think he's kind of cute. I wouldn't mind spending the next few months with him in the household." She grinned and began nudging Cole, who grinned back and began chuckling._

" _I'm down with it." Cole said. "I think it'd be a nice addition to our family."_

 _Kai sighed again. "We'll take a vote. Who wants him to live temporarily in the Smith Manor?"_

 _Cole, Nya, and Zane raised their hands._

" _I guess I'm in the minority then," Kai grumbled. "But then again, when am I not?"_

 _Kai broke up the huddle. "Alright Mr. Walker, you can come live with us for a while. But there are three rules you must abide by while living under my roof."_

 _Jay nodded and smiled. "Anything."_

" _Rule 1: Nya is off limits."_

 _Jay blushed slightly. "S-sure." He stuttered._

" _Rule 2: You are responsible for your own laundry. I don't want a pair of fighter-jet-themed boxers in my washing machine, am I clear?"_

 _Jay continued to blush. "Pssh, I don't even own a pair of fighter-jet-themed boxers…" he stated before quickly muttered under his breath so the others couldn't hear: "I actually have two pairs."_

" _Rule 3: Don't ever, ever, EVER, eat my chips. Are we clear?"_

 _Jay threw up a mock salute. "Sir, yes sir!"_

* * *

"… and I've been an ass ever since." Jay finished, leaning back in his chair.

"Y'know what guys? I'm thankful that I was able to meet all of you, and that we were all in the right place at the right time." Cole said.

"I'll toast to that!" Kai exclaimed.

They all raised their glasses and toasted. The rest of their night was filled with good food, good drink, and good company.

* * *

5,000 miles away, in a compound in a deep forest, four people sat at a luxurious table surrounded by armed guards.

One was in upbeat spirits, wearing a white kimono and sporting a long grey beard. He was talking to his brother, who was also in high spirits, but he was wearing a military uniform covered in metals. Due to the holiday, he was able to somewhat overlook the tragedy that had recently struck his household.

The third person at the table, however, was simply picking at his food and thinking about the hell storm that was his life. He wore a black sweatshirt, and was merely picking at the mashed potatoes on his plate. Across from him sat a pale girl in a purple dress. Though she looked human, in reality she was a set of gears, wires, and metal. Her name was Pixal.

The man in the uniform stopped eating for a moment and glanced at the boy. "Lloyd," he asked quietly, "What are you thankful for this Appreciation Day?"

Lloyd stopped picking at his food for a moment. "What is there to be thankful for, Dad? It's not like we're going to be here much longer. You'll be dead, assassinated by some random soldier's hand."

Wu, the bearded man, cleared his throat. "Lloyd, we agreed that we weren't going to speak of the war this evening."

Montgomery Garmadon, the man in uniform, waved his hand. "Nonsense, let the boy speak his mind. He's 17 years old. He knows what he's doing." He set down his fork. "In fact, I'm thankful that we are all able to be here this supper, as a family, to enjoy this Appreciation Day and to honor our ancestors who sacrificed their lives not only for our island, but for their island as well."

Wu and Pixal nodded in honest agreement.

Pixal quickly cut in, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I'm thankful for that three days, no fighting will occur and no lives will be lost. I'm thankful that Montgomery agreed to do that with the Ninjagans."

Garmadon gestured to the guards with his wine glass. "Let that be a warning to you all, I'm not all demons and death!" He said, earning laughs from both his family, and the guards surrounding them.

The double doors were shoved open, and a tired looking soldier went over to Garmadon and saluted. "Sir, I tried to stop him, but I couldn't! He has an army of pirates and he-"

"Lord Garmadon. I apologize for interrupting your supper this fine evening, although I never really understand Appreciation Day."

Garmadon stood up. "You… they said you were dead. They said that they had killed you in a bombing run."

The man talking to Garmadon merely smiled. "It's good to see you too, old friend."

Garmadon grimaced. "Don't call me friend, Chen."

Chen began to chuckle, before breaking into full out laughter in the dining hall, as Cultist Pirates surrounded Garmadon's Compound in a huge wall.

"What I'm thankful for, Garmadon," Chen said, "is your cooperation."

 **And cliffhanger! But seriously, happy thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all ate to your hearts' content, and I'll work on getting more chapters in on time. Like I said, Warriors of Christmas will be the last one shot and it's on to the sequel! Still taking suggestions for the name of the sequel. If you have a good idea, then either put it in the reviews or shoot me a PM with it. Thanks!**


	10. Inconvenient Pleasures

**Yet another sad and depressing one. Sorry guys, we'll get to the jolly stuff with Warriors of Christmas, don't you worry. Not much to say this time around, so here it goes.**

Inconvenient Pleasures

His eyes were kept open throughout the night. His chest kept moving up and down to the rhythm of his breathing. The sheets that clutched his bed were cold from weeks of neglect. He merely stared up at the ceiling fan, praying that his eyes wouldn't drift closed again.

Cole Brookstone hadn't slept since she left. Seleil had been the one who kept his nightmares in check. Her and her alone. Maybe she was right. Maybe he did have PTSD. What was he supposed to do about it?

He was being shipped off in a month. He checked his clock. 4:15 in the morning. A good enough time to get up.

He was alone in the house. Seleil and Nya had left for Ninjago University six days ago. Kai, Jay, and Zane were supposed to be getting back by 11:00 P.M. that night. They were off visiting Jamanakai Village to see a friend of Kai's.

Cole swung his legs over the side of his bed. The sun wasn't visible in the sky yet, but it's distant beams of light turned the world a navy blue. Cole stood up and waltzed over to his bathroom, flipping on the lights.

Stubble was growing on his chin. His hair was a ragged mess, and his eyes were red. He ran a comb through his hair, brushed his teeth, shaved for the first time in a week, and tried to make himself look somewhat presentable.

By 5:00 A.M., he was ready to start the day. He grabbed a Pop Tart for the road and drove off to the local bar.

' _Never too early for a drink to ease the nerves.'_ Cole though as he walked through the empty road and past the many fields that the farmers worked on.

He reached the bar by 5:30.

The brick building had many glass windows and a door that at most times was open for all to enter and enjoy. This wasn't one of those times.

Cole groaned as he read the date and times table on the door. The bar didn't open until noon.

Cole mentally face-palmed. "Why the heck would I think that the bar would be open this early?" He asked to no one in particular. "The lack of sleep must be getting to me…"

He slumped against the brick wall, tired of mentally screwing up. In fact, he was tired in general. _'If I just take a quick nap, it'll all turnout alright.'_ He reassured himself as his eyelids slowly came to connect with one another and sweet bliss captured him.

 _They had just reached the border between the Wailing Alps and the Wildwood Forest. 112 AT-45 Tanks rolling in a straight line down a dusty dirt road. Cole sat on the back of one, along with Dareth and a few other Marines that Cole couldn't name of f the top of his head._

 _In front of them stood a large land of trees, rivers, and animals. The tank line stopped, and Lt. Dan stood up with a microphone in hand._

" _ALRIGHT!" He shouted, his voice echoing beyond the tank line and back into the mountainous peaks. "We've got orders from high command to get to Ninjago City as fast as our tanks will allow us! Now, the easiest way to do this is to drive our little convoy to Spirit Cove, where we will load up our tanks onto the many flotilla s that High Command has granted us!"_

 _He coughed a few times, the sound reverberating throughout the mountains behind them._

" _After we have done that, we'll float in our little boats past Stiix and into the Sea of Sand. From there we'll be given further orders on objectives to capture throughout the city. Oorah?"_

 _The Marines in the tank column shouted at once, "Oorah!"_

 _The Lieutenant sat down at once, and the tank column chugged ahead at full speed. They expected no resistance. Unfortunatley, they were at the wrong place at the wrong time, as Cole soon found out._

 _About five miles into the forest, Marines began reporting seeing flashes of white in between the trees. At six miles in, Marines confirmed seeing men in white uniforms watching the tank column go by._

 _At seven miles in, they were upon them. The first cry came from about two tanks up. A Marine shouted at the top of his lungs, "SKULKIN!"_

 _Then, the Marine in front of Cole, a robust man sitting with his rear on the turret, was shot square in the chest._

" _AMBUSH!" Cole shouted as he raised his rifle. He and the five other alive Marines on the tank hopped off and began searching for targets._

 _A tank gunner popped out of the tank hatch. The tank was affectionately called 'Firefly' by its crew._

 _The gunner said, "Stay back! We're gonna light these bastards out!"_

 _Immediately, Cole saw why it was called Firefly._

 _Flames roared from the barrel of the tank, making the trees burst into flames, which spread quickly._

 _Fairly soon the Skulkin were running for their lives as noxious smoke filled the air. Cole couldn't help but cough as he gunned downed enemy after enemy running from the flames. After a head count, 46 enemies were either torched or shot to death. Only two Marines dead, one wounded._

Cole's eyes fluttered open to find that it was still dark outside. But funnily enough, it seemed a deeper shade. He looked down at his watch. "6:35… P.M.?!"

The Marine stood quickly, looking around. Sure enough, the streets of Ninjago were alive. Farmers were selling their last crops. The supermarket was busy with customers. And most importantly, the bar was open and in full swing.

Cole wiped the spittle from his mouth and entered the bar. The bartender, a man named Soto, was once the poster child for a cereal named after him. Now he every other day at the bar.

As soon as Soto saw him, he gave Cole a hearty grin. One of his front teeth was missing due to his smoking habit, making his smile slightly less attractive. In fact, Soto was the sole reason that Cole didn't smoke.

The Bartender, who was pouring the drinks for a young couple sitting at the bar, shouted over to Cole. "Heyya, Brookie! How ye be doin' this fine evenin'?"

The Marine, still halfway across the bar, ran a hand through his tangled black hair. "Just woke up from a nap," he explained, still groggy. "I think I need something to calm the nerves."

Soto shook his head. "No, what ye need is a bed to sleep 'n! I saw ye sleepin' against the bar. People were laughin' at ye, smiling at ye, like ye was some sorta clown!" He finished pouring the two drinks and handed them to the waiting couple. Quickly after, he waved Cole over to the nearest open barstool.

Cole had a seat next to an older man with a water and a newspaper and a girl in a hoodie. "The usual," he muttered. "I'm not in the mood for anything fancy."

"Ye, I doubt yer in the mood for any alcohol at this point, Brookie."

"Just get me the drink, Soto."

The bartender raised his arms in mock defeat, before heading back to get the drink that Cole desired.

The girl next to him glanced over. "Rough day?" She asked, quietly.

Cole shook his head. "Rough week," he corrected, earning a quick laugh from the girl.

She removed her hood, revealing a pretty face, bright blue eyes, a small button nose, and long flowing brown hair. She had a mischievous grin, not unlike Seleil's.

She quickly stuck out her hand to shake. "Roxanne." She said.

"Like the Officer song?"

She nodded, giving a quick "Mhm," while still sticking out her hand.

"Cole Brookstone." Cole finally said, shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Roxanne."

She nodded slowly, before taking a sip out of her drink, an orange pina colada.

Soto finally came back around, handing Cole the small brown bottle that he so craved. "How much do I owe you?" He asked.

Soto smirked. "On the house, Brookie. It's all I could do in return for your service."

Cole sighed and shook his head. "Oh, buzz off Soto. Y'know why I did it, you're just pulling my strings."

Soto just continued to smirk at his younger counterpart as he walked further down the bar to deal with the next customer.

Roxanne raised her eyebrows. "You served?" She asked.

Cole nodded. "Serving now, actually, I'm just on break after the Battle of Ninjago City."

Roxanne turned back to her drink and began stirring the straw, still genuinely surprised. "What branch?" she asked.

He quickly replied, "Marines. 9th Division."

Roxanne smiled at Cole, turning back to him. "My cousin is in the 9th Marine Division! Marcus MacEirne, he's a corporal."

Now it was Cole's turn to be surprised. "I know Marcus. You're related to him?"

The girl continued to smirk at Cole. "What, are you missing the resemblance?"

"I must be. I mean, how could someone with such good looks be relation to Marcus?"

Roxanne snorted and laughed. Her mischievous grin quickly returned, and she grasped Cole by the front of his shirt, pulling him far closer to her than he would've imagined.

"I'm going to be straight up with you, Cole. I like you. I really, really like you." She licked her lips, running her other hand down the front of his shirt, feeling his chest. "Why don't we take it back to your place? Don't worry, I won't tell Marcus…"

Cole's eyes were as big as dinner plates. As she spoke, all thoughts of Seleil slipped from Cole's mind. He nodded slowly, stupidly almost.

That said, Cole paid for his drink and her Pina Colada before going back to the Smith Manor with Roxanne in tow.

Later that night, around 11:20 P.M., the bus stopped in front of the Smith Manor.

Kai, Jay, and Zane stepped off of the transportation vehicle, laughing as hard as they could. "A-and then, Zane said, 'The Chicken had no fundamental reason to cross the road'!" Kai shouted, causing Jay to slap his knee and for Zane to let out a light chuckle.

Zane was the first to enter. "Cole, we've returned!"

He was quickly followed by his two companions. Jay shouted, "How was holding down the fort? I know you Marines do a lot of that!" earning a fist bump from Kai.

Strangely though, there was no reply. The only clues left for them were an empty bottle of champagne and a string of clothes left on the stairs.

Kai grimaced. "That can't be good." He turned to his friends. "Which one of you wants to go find out who the hell is in Cole's room?"

Neither of the men opposite him rose their hands. Kai sighed lowly. "Fine. I suppose I am the man in the household, so I'll just have to go look myself."

While Kai quietly went up the stairs, Zane sat down on the couch and Jay went scavenging through the fridge.

Zane, without turning on the television, asked Jay: "Do you really think that Cole would bed another woman like that? I mean, just abandon Seleil?"

Jay answered with a quick, "Psssshhh. Cole's solid as a rock. He wouldn't break any relationship he had for Seleil for anything."

Just after Jay said this, they heard Kai shout from upstairs, "What the **** is going on, Cole?!", followed quickly by a scream and a girl, no older than 21, rushing down the stairs wrapped in a bed sheet.

When she saw Jay and Zane giving her odd looks, she screamed again, causing Zane and Jay to yell as she rushed towards the door.

At the top of the stairs, Cole, who was wearing a pair of boxers, wrestled with Kai. As the girl saw this, she turned and shouted up, "Call me, Brookstone! We aren't finished yet!", before running out into the cold night.

Around five minutes later, three very stunned boys sat on a couch with their friend, who was still wearing boxers.

They sat in silence, before Kai shouted out once more, "What the **** was that, Cole?!"

Cole sighed, his head in his hands. "That was me expressing myself."

Jay threw up his arms. "Helluva way to express yourself, don't you think? Especially with the 'betraying your future girlfriend' part!"

Cole stood up and marched in front of them. "I didn't know what I was doing!"  
Kai stood up, angrily, and countered: "Really? Because when I opened the door it looked like you were expertly navigating the canals of that… intruder! AND IT SURE AS HELL LOOKED LIKE YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING!"

"Her name is Roxanne!" Cole shouted, pointing a finger at Kai.

"I don't give a crap about what her name is! The only girl who you should be sleeping with is that red-and-blue haired college girl that we've all come to know and love as Seleil! Not some random chick you found on the street!" Kai countered.

Cole, now back on the defense, responded with: "She's not a random chick! She's the cousin of a friend of mine in the Marine Corps."

Zane, still sitting next to Jay, tilted his head. "So that means you can sleep with her and betray the woman who has liked you since she met you?"

Cole once again put his head in his hands. "Yes, I mean no! I mean- God dammit! I can't choose who I love and don't love in this house?!"

Kai shook his head. "Not when you're bringing random women into my house!"

"Ah, but it's not just your house! It's half owned by Nya!" Cole parried.

Jay grinned, crossing his legs. "Yes, and Nya will be so thrilled to hear that you betrayed her best friend by sleeping with a random lady. I'm sure she'll come rushing to your aid like a knight in shining armor. In fact, I think I'll give her a call now."

Cole threw up his hands. "Wait, wait! Don't call Nya! DO NOT!"

Now Zane reentered the verbal sparring match, removing his white coat and placing it underneath him on the couch. "Why should we not, Cole? I have never felt anything majorly special, nor have I met any woman who stuck out to me, but by God I hope I find one soon. You're lucky, Cole. You have someone who you love and care about and who loves and cares about you in return. And what you just did, Cole Brookstone, was throw away that person. Like they were nothing."

Cole hung his head in shame. "A-alright. What I did was wrong, that I admit. But I haven't had fun in ages. I needed an excuse to let go before I go back. Seleil and I… we aren't dating yet. But even though I know it wasn't cheating, I feel in my heart that some way, somehow, I was cheating Seleil by doing this." He paused for a moment, trying to gather himself. "Please forgive me." He once again hung his head.

The three boys around him felt sympathy for their brother. They all locked eyes with one another, and came to an agreement.

Kai put his hand on Cole's shoulder. "We forgive you, Cole."

Cole smiled at him, glad that his friends still cared, even after his mistakes.

"Now go put some pants on," Kai said, "we have work to do."

 **And that's that. Sorry if I ticked off any Cole fans. Cole fans, if you don't think I should have written this as it may or may not contradict with Cole's personality in the show, then please leave a review about why you dislike it. If you enjoyed it, I also recommend leaving a review so I can find out what to keep going with. Thank y'all for reading! Adios!**


	11. Scrap Metal

**Another chapter in on time? Man, I am on a roll! Maybe I could get used to this 'once a week' schedule. Anyway, this is one of the last one-shots before Warriors of Christmas comes out and we have a little break. At least, I do. But fear naught! I will (hopefully) either have the sequel out in April, May, or June. April is the closest, but June is best for my schedule as it's after Finals. Tell me which y'all prefer. Now, enough with my tangents.**

Scrap Metal

The moon was low in the sky. The native insects of the dark islands fluttered about, filling the sky with their droning buzz. The deep dark forest is spacious and lush with trees. In fact, the only light for miles was a small compound, no bigger than two square miles.

On the second story balcony of her room, overlooking the compound's beautiful courtyard, stood a girl named Pixel.

She looked out into the starry night, her long gray hair down at her shoulders rather than in the bun she usually kept it in. Her normally clean and tidy purple dress was now strewn with wrinkles.

Down in the courtyard below, around 20 Skulkin guards stood at the multiple entrances into the main building. In the center of the courtyard were around 60 rowdy, unorganized, heavily armed Pirate Cultists, who were 'occupying' the compound until further notice.

Pixel scowled, her eyes narrowed as she glared down at the Pirates. They had done nothing but come into the nation as if it were their own. They did not act like normal guests, and they forced Pixel and the other servants to bolt around the compound, looking for wine, champagne, bread, or meats.

And when Pixel and the other servants protested, they were threatened or told off. In fact, one servant asked a Pirate Cultist if his gluttonous attitude knew any bounds. In response, the pirate slapped the servant across the face, leaving a large mark, and dismissed her, calling her an 'ungrateful cow', and other names Pixel wished not to indulge in.

Pixel stopped scowling and turned back to enter her room. "If only it were a simpler time…" she muttered quietly to herself.

She plopped down onto her bed, facing the ceiling. She reached over to grab something from the drawer and quickly noticed something that she had previously overlooked.

Her skin. Her skin was that of a human. This fact alone was not shocking to her, she had been built with human skin when Cyrus Borg, curse that man, had created her.

But after all these years, living with the Garmadon family, she hadn't noticed one crucial detail:

She had been treated better because of her skin. All the other servants were either trashy human women who didn't do much work, or robotic prototypes, unpolished and fragile. The only reason Pixel had been treated fairly was because of her looks and habits rather than her abilities or her master's unconditional love for her.

These were the thoughts than ran through Pixel's head as she grabbed a photo frame from the top of her drawer.

It was a picture of the Garmadon Family, back when they were complete and whole. It was Garmadon next to Wu and Misako, with Pixel and Lloyd stuck in the middle.

It all made sense to her now. She set the photograph back and began to sob lightly. She wrapped herself in sheets and tried to get some sleep, but her tears and sorrows prevented her from doing so.

About 23 minutes later, she heard a knock on the door of her bedroom. It was a gentle knock, like that of a father's checking on his daughter.

"C-come in." Pixel said, still lightly sobbing.

The door creaked open, and Pixel, still looking at the ceiling, heard Garmadon say "Pixel? Are you alright, why are you crying?"

The robot let out a sniffle as more tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. "Montgomery… do you hate me?"

The dictator, though he knew Pixel couldn't see him, tilted his head in shock and concern. He took a second to regain his thoughts before continuing.

"Pixel, what would give you the sense that I or anyone in this family hates you?" Garmadon made his way to the bed and gently sat down on the edge, looking at his servant with genuine worry.

"I-I'm afraid that… that you only like me because of my looks. I mean, I'm the only servant who takes the time to _look_ respectable." Pixel said, finally ending her sobbing fit.

Montgomery, with a light touch, reached over and wiped the last tear from Pixel's face. "Pixel, that's not true at all. Do you remember the day that Dr. Borg gave you to me in good faith?

Pixel thought back, and her mind was flooded with memories from her past.

 _All she saw was darkness. She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks and hear the sound of Cyrus Borg talking to the feared Lord Garmadon, but she could not see._

"… _and so, Lord Garmadon, for your many actions including allowing me to test my illegal experiments on your island and the… purging… of Julien Industries, I present to you my most prized work. I call her, Pixel!"_

 _With that, and a few switches from Cyrus' wheelchair motherboard, Pixel's voice and sight were restored to her. She looked down at herself, realizing she was in a new red dress that made her look ten times as pretty as she actually was._

 _She then looked up, and her eyes widened in fear. A mere 5 feet in front of her, examining her closely, stood Lord Montgomery Garmadon, the famed leader of the Dark Island. His brother was nowhere to be found, as he was still teaching Spinjitsu to children in his Ninjago Monastery._

 _Pixel quaked slightly, her eyes still wide._

 _Garmadon spoke sharply. "She's shaking. Is she afraid?"_

 _Cyrus frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. "Ah, yes, that's one of the bugs I have to work out."_

 _The dictator shook his head. "No, no. Keep it. Can she feel all emotions?"_

 _Cyrus nodded slowly, not sure where the dictator was going with this. "I'll take her right now for… twenty five million."_

 _Cyrus' eyes lit up. He had never gotten a deal this big from a single product! "B-but sir, if she has emotions, then she has a more likely chance of revolt."_

" _And a guarantee of compassion for others. My wife says I need to be more compassionate. Maybe I should give it a try. Twenty-five million, take it or leave it, Doctor."_

 _Cyrus sighed, and nodded immediately. "Twenty-five million. Take her."_

 _Garmadon smiled a warm smile at Pixel, and ordered for the two Skulkin guards to show her to her room while he worked out the price with Cyrus Borg._

Pixel's sobbing had stopped completely now as she remembered exactly why Garmadon had made the choice to purchase her.

"The reason why I find you so special, Pixel," Garmadon said, "is because of your ability to feel emotion, something no other robot has ever accomplished since Dr. Julien's falcon.

Pixel's sobbing resumed, but this time, they were tears of joy.

The moment was interrupted sharply by a Skulkin soldier on the intercom. "Lord Garmadon, your presence is requested by Master Chen in the War Room."

Pixel sat up and watched as Garmadon scowled and stood. He brushed off his jet-black military uniform, causing the medals on his chest to brush up against one another.

"What will you do?" Pixel inquired, still looking up at Garmadon, eyes full of hope that he will rid the island of these vicious pirates.

"What else would I do? I have to go speak to Chen. Get yourself cleaned up and meet me downstairs." Garmadon responded, before sharply exiting her room, boots clacking against the wooden floor.

Around 15 minutes later, Pixel, in her recently-ironed dress, walked quickly through the halls of the compound. The moon cast a shadow through the windows, making the Skulkin standing guard seem even more eerie.

She turned a corner and found herself face-to-face with the doors of the War Room. She quickly exhaled, trying to replace the fear in her heart with hope. She showed the camera her ID card and entered.

The room was more silent than usual, and Pixel immediately noticed a few changes. For one, the ten Skulkin soldiers inside the War Room were joined by seven Cultists and Chen himself, of course.

Secondly, since Samukai was no longer Commander of the Skulkin, he was replaced by his second in command, Kruncha.

Kruncha was a tough-as-nails fighter, but he was a terrible strategist. This made him the perfect candidate for successor to Samukai. After all, what did the Skulkin do but kill and take orders from Garmadon alone? He was also joined by his best friend and newly appointed second in command, Nuckal.

Pixel took her place in the corner next to two Skulkin guards and a Cultist and observed what was about to occur.

"Chen, you are my guest, but you will not give my Commanders or I disrespect! Am I clear?!" Garmadon roared. Off to a good start already.

"Ah, but Lord Garmadon, you seem to forget that I have an entire Battalion of my men surrounding your compound. I have the numerical advantage." Chen said, before laughing heartily.

Kozu, who had his hands on the table and was standing next to Nadakhan, scowled. "You dirty swine, slithering about our halls, giving your men our spoils! Why, if I wasn't bound by the Darese Guest Code, I would rip your still-beating heart from in between your lungs!"

Garmadon raised his hand, gesturing for Kozu to stop.

Kozu breathed heavily, his deadly gaze fixed on Chen. "Morro," he said, causing Garmadon's second in command to glance up, "I think I've found someone who I hate more than you."

Nadakhan stifled a laugh, and Morro just grimaced at Chen. "I'll second that." He responded, crossing his arms.

Kruncha and Nuckal both whispered to each other, shooting glances at Chen from time to time. Garmadon quickly noticed this, and sighed. "What is it?"

Kruncha took one last look at the map, before saying in his gruff voice: "Maybe Chen has a point."

Garmadon's eyes widened. "What? Kruncha, you can't be serious!"  
The Skulkin Commander nodded. "Well, as Chen put it prior, the second fleet is stationed just off the waters of Ninjago City. They have an aircraft carrier currently carrying several LH-12s and enough soldiers to mount a second invasion."

He continued, "If the bombers strike Ninjago City, maybe we can land a successful force and make the Ninjagans concede defeat. "

Chen clapped twice. "See, Garmadon, see? Your Commander agrees with me! He's smart!"  
Morro scoffed. "Or maybe he's just really stupid," he muttered, before quickly adding, "no offense."

"None taken." Kruncha said. "I take orders only from Garmadon."

"Unlike these Cult bastards." Nadakhan said, before nodding at Morro, clearly a signal.

Morro shot a glance at Kruncha and showed him seven fingers.

Kruncha shouted, "Seven!" and drew his handgun.

It all happened so fast. The Generals and the Skulkin all raised their respective weapons before the Pirate Cultists knew what was going on.

A few gunshots and flashes of light went off, and seven Pirate Cultists lay dead. Chen stood as though to run, but halted when Morro aimed his UG-50 at him.

"You're going nowhere." He said, a daring look on his face.

Garmadon looked just as surprised as Chen was. "Morro, what is the meaning of this?!"

Nadakhan set his handgun on the table. "Sir, it was clear that you weren't going to do anything about it, so we're taking matters into our own hands. This ends now."

Chen slammed his fist on the table in anger. "This is ridiculous! I am your ally! I-I over rank you! I ORDER YOU TO STOP!"  
Kozu took two steps towards him and punched him square across the face as hard as he could. Chen fell like a brick, hitting the ground hard. "Cuurtasa o te Isla Dar." He said in his native tongue.

Kruncha grabbed a DR-25 from one of the Skulkin and handed it to Nuckal. "Alright!" He bellowed to the Skulkin in the room. "I'm ordering the assault! Kozu, Morro, and I will be on the field! Nadakhan now has command of you ten! You will escort Chen, Garmadon, and his servant to the basement where they will hold out for the night!"

Just then, a Skulkin burst into the room. "Sir, two HK-25 helicopters are inbound!"

Morro just smiled. "Good." He said, before walking out with Kozu, Kruncha, and Nuckal in tow.

 **Cliffhanger! Don't worry you guys, we've still got a few more chapters before Warriors of Christmas!**

 **Cuurtasa o te Isla Dar- Courtesy of the Dark Island.**

 **And with that, I leave you. Adios!**


	12. The Enemy of my Enemy

**Okay guys, sorry I haven't posted any chapters in a while. My PC's been down for a while, and it just got back from repair. BUT WE'VE GOT THE CHAPTER NOW! The continuation of the last chapter that is:**

The Enemy of my Enemy…

Fires burned and bombs exploded in the distance. The crackle of gunfire was constant, and from their vantage point, the two active members of Ninjago Naval Special Operations Group, neither side was giving way. That was where they came in.

Luicha Khatosi adjusted the scope on his M28 Long-range rifle. He wasn't the designated sniper of the team, but that didn't mean he wasn't a good shot.

The man next to him had already made the final adjustments on his rifle. He, unlike his partner, was the designated sniper, a man named Henry "Hank" Jones. They came from two very different backgrounds, and yet they had become the closest of friends.

The two sat on their point overlooking the compound, both wearing ghillie suits. Luicha could see through his scope that the Cultist Pirates fought almost as well as the Elite Skulkin, who were tasked with defending the compound.

Henry tapped the radio on his ear. "HQ, this is Jones, permission to begin engagement, over?" He waited for a response for a few moments. Then, a sharp reply came through:

"Negative Jones, your orders are to wait for the 12th to show up. Then you're clear to engage, over."

Henry shook his head, grumbling quietly. "Solid copy HQ, we'll hold out."

The only problem was: they'd been holding out for three and a half days on top of the hill. The area around them smelled of urine and plant life, and Luicha was fairly sure that a bird had defecated onto him at some point.

The reason they had been holding out for so long was because Ninjago's High Command had been informed of the Darese Commander's plans two weeks before it happened. The Ninjagans were there to fight, but they were under no circumstances to harm Garmadon, the Skulkin, or any of the Darese Generals.

"Well, I gotta take a leak." Hank sighed, preparing to stand up from his belly-down position.

Luicha glanced over at him, his face painted a green-brown jungle camouflage. "Again? That's the third time today."

"Sorry I can't hold my bladder like you can, Khatosi. Do you Dark Islanders have a filter in your digestive systems or something?"

Luicha shrugged. "It's more like a valve." He replied, earning a chuckle from Henry.

Once more, the sniper prepared to stand, but was halted by the crackling of his radio. "HQ, this is Samurai 2-2, requesting fire mission on outskirts of compound, over."

HQ replied, "Negative 2-2, we have negative air dominance in the area, you'll have to go in on your own, over."

Hank was ushered back down by his partner as two HK-25 helicopters roared over the hill and towards the rising sun.

"There's the 12th Ranger Division…" Luicha muttered, before quickly looking down at his watch and adding, "And only 5 hours late! They'll be lucky if the Generals even give them Chen after this slip up."

Henry grimaced under his own face paint. "Yeah, the Darese don't like to play nice. No offense."

"None taken."

The designated sniper quickly bolted his rifle, chambering a round. He flipped safety off and allowed his finger to go to the trigger. He peered down his scope, thankful that there wasn't much wind today.

"How far out are we?" Luicha inquired, still trying to adjust the scope.

"About 2 kilos out."

Luicha twisted the knob on top of his scope and prepared to take aim, but by then Henry had fired off his first shot.

The sniper bolted again, putting his second round in the chamber. "Hit." He muttered, before aiming and quickly firing again. "Hit again."

"Show off…" Luicha muttered, before firing himself. He hit a Pirate in the left calf, blowing his lower leg off and taking him out of the fight. "He'll bleed out," he assured himself, taking aim at his next target.

Henry was taking out targets left and right just outside of the compound, where about 20 meters of heavy-duty fence had been blown down by some stray explosion. "Just target the ones near the broken fence," he told his partner. "That's where Samurai 2 will land."

Taking his advice, Luicha began only picking out targets in that vicinity. After another 20 seconds of shooting, every target was down in that area.

"Pound it, bro." Henry said, holding out his fist. Luicha gladly accepted the gesture, fist-bumping his comrade.

Luicha tapped his radio. "Samurai, this is Ice 3. You are cleared for landing on the west side of the compound, over."

A woman's voice came through. "Ice 3, this is Samurai 2-6, thanks for the assist, over."

Luicha flipped off his radio, as Henry twisted his rifle over to reload it.

While removing the magazine, Henry began to speak about an upcoming holiday. "Damn Khatosi, can you believe it's only five days 'till Christmas? Five days, and they've got us on a mission."

Luicha shrugged. "I just want to get back to the Aircraft Carrier and TimeFace my family back in Ninjago City. It's a shame that I won't be able to see them in person."

About 2 kilometers ahead of the duo, a team of 10 sat in an HK-25 helicopter slowly hovering over the compound.

Inside were such familiar faces like Skylar Chen, Lars Panrocka, and Colonel Rogers.

Rogers, armed with a P12S, was trying to do anything to motivate them. "… We're here to get one of Ninjago's greatest enemies! No, not Garmadon, but the Pirate Cultist who has assaulted both us and the Darese! We fight to- oh, forget it! Just get out there and kill!"

Skylar Chen, seated next to Lars Panrocka, took a cigarette out of her patch. She quickly lit it, before it was smacked out of her hand by her very good friend, Lars.

"Do you know how bad that is for you, Chen?" Lars questioned, stepping on the cigarette butt.

Skylar had to chuckle lightly. "We're about to go into combat with live bullets being fired at us, and you're concerned with my smoking habit?"

"That's not an excuse, Skylar."

"ALRIGHT!" Colonel Rogers shouted to no one in particular. "We're moving out!" He used his free hand to smooth out his black moustache, before raising his handgun and walking towards the back of the helicopter.

The doors opened, and the 10 Rangers and their Colonel rushed outside to join the fight.

Lars, armed with his standard Ranger gear and L-19, was immediately thrown into combat. The second HK-25, which had just finished dropping off its 15 Rangers, took off. It was immediately hit by a stray rocket from deep within the compound and began to spin.

Lars watched as the helicopter twitched and slammed into the ground, hard. He heard someone shout, "Was that a friendly rocket?! Was that a Code Blue?!"

Colonel Rogers was quick to reply. "Negative, negative! We've got 45 tangos inbound from the east! Open fire!"

Lars dropped to a knee and began firing towards the east. The dirt-covered ground began to spit up dust as bullets whipped by and feet stomped.

The Ranger took clear and quick aim, dropping Pirate after Pirate. Eventually, a Cultist got to Lars. The fighter kicked down the Ranger, making him fall on his back. The pirate prepared to finish him off, but a bullet smacked into his head.

Skylar Chen walked up and kicked over the still-standing Pirate's corpse. "You owe me one for that, Panrocka." She said before offering the Ranger a hand up. Lars gladly took it.

Skylar went into full-on kill mode. She dropped one pirate armed with a belt of grenades, then fired again into the chest of a half-naked pirate.

A third pirate with a machete got close and took a downward swing at her. She blocked it by turning her rifle sideways and holding it above her head. Then, with her opponent occupied, she swiftly kicked him back with her boot and took aim. Another squeeze of the trigger and the pirate went down.

Colonel Rogers wasn't doing to shabby himself. He took deadly aim with his handgun, popping any Darese pirate who got into range. He saw a pirate bearing a belt of grenades about 30 yards away.

The pirate pulled one of the pins, and prepared to throw it, but a large bullet caught his chest and caused his internal organs to strew out. The belt of grenades soon after went off, killing five other pirates.

The Colonel turned towards one of the large hills overlooking the compound and gave the two snipers a thumbs-up.

The last two pirates in the charge were killed, and once more the Rangers were alone in the west side of the compound.

A Ranger ran up to Rogers, breathing heavily. "Sir, sir! The HK-25 that went down, one of the pilots is still alive! There's small arms fire coming from the cockpit!"

The Colonel sighed. He originally didn't want to divert men, but part of the Ranger Creed was to leave no man behind, and Rogers was a good Ranger. He pointed to Lars and nine other Rangers. "You guys are with me! We're recovering the downed pilot! Chen!"

Skylar turned to her name being called. "Yes sir?"

"You take the rest of the Rangers and move into the compound through the loading dock. Our contact is a General under Garmadon, his call sign is Ghost. Understood?"

"Hooah!" Skylar replied, before rallying her troops and running towards the loading dock.

Rogers tapped his radio on. "Ice 2, this is Samurai Actual. We're moving to recover a downed pilot from the crashed HK-25. At this rate, we won't be able to load everyone onto the remaining HK-25. Can you call in another one, over?"

The reply was quick and short. "I'll see what I can do. No promises, over."

Colonel Rogers shook his head. It would have to do for now. He raised his P126 and began heading towards the location of the downed helicopter with his 10 Rangers in tow.

While Rogers took a stroll towards the helicopter, Skylar's team had begun conducting hall-to-hall combat. One Ranger quickly expressed concerns. "Where are all the Skulkin? Ain't there supposed to be, like, 600 at the compound?'

Skylar shook her head. "I dunno. Maybe there on lunch break. Good for them. We don't take lunch breaks, now let's find this guy!" She continued running through the halls, engaging in close-quarters.

Outside, Lars Panrocka and Colonel Rogers had just reached the crash site. About 12 Skulkin soldiers were holding their own against a little under a hundred Pirate Cultists. What's more, the Skulkin were the only thing between the Cultists and the Ninjagan Pilot.

Colonel Rogers quickly ordered Lars and the others to flank the Cultists and to kill as many as possible. He then tapped his radio, and made this desperate plea:

"HQ, this is Samurai Actual! I NEED an air support fire mission! I don't care if you have to fly a damn passenger plane into the ground! I just need some friendly support, over!"

He listened closely to the reply, before sighing in relief. "FN-34 Fighter Squadron inbound!"

A Ranger, who had just fired into the crowd of pirates, called back. "Which one!?"

"Squadron D, 47th Ninjago Interceptor Wing! ETA 40 seconds!"

"Forty?" Lars called, sending a bullet into a Pirate's head. "I don't think we're going to last that long!"

Another Ranger joined in. "Yeah, I think that-"

The Ranger was cut off as a DR-21 round ripped through his neck, spilling massive amounts of blood from his jugular. The poor man was forced to suffocate slowly while losing tremendous amounts of blood.

Lars grimaced at the sight, before standing up and flipping his L-19 onto automatic fire. He held down the trigger, spraying enemy forces with rounds. He could hear the sound of a jet engine in the distance.

He reloaded his L-19, flipping back onto semi-automatic. Just as he did so, three FN-34 fighters zoomed overhead. Lars could hear some of the radio chatter from Colonel Rogers' headset:

" _Karnage, this is Thief. Targets are marked and we're ready to commit strafing run."_

" _Solid copy Thief, sit tight while we turn around. Piano, you ready?"_

" _Roger sir, missiles in downward position. Let's light these fools."_

The three fighters once more zoomed overhead, dropping loads of bombs and lead onto the enemy. In one bombing run, the Cultist lines were torn apart as they ran and scattered in an attempt to get out.

Lars raised his weapon to kill the stragglers, but the barrel of his rifle was pushed back down by another Ranger, who shook his head. "No need, Panrocka."

The remaining Rangers trotted over to the 9 standing Skulkin in front of their helicopter. Colonel Rogers, who spoke fluent Darese, began to speak with them. "Tu arete? Wey as Morta?"

As the soldiers began to chatter in their native language amongst themselves, one stepped forward. He was a taller man, with a strong jaw line. He was, however, somewhat bony, and donned an interesting Mohawk as his hair style. Still, this was not a man one would want to pick a fight with.

"I am 2nd Commander Nuckal of Garmadon's Personal Army. You're looking for Ghost, I presume?" The man said. Lars almost laughed at how high-pitched and confused he sounded.

Colonel Rogers responded swiftly. "I'm Colonel Rogers, 3rd Battalion of the 12th Ranger Division."

Nuckal looked confused. "I thought they kept Colonels back at your bases, away from the fight."

Rogers just grinned. "Well, I ain't that kind of Colonel. Now, I am looking for Ghost. He's got a business proposal that the Ninjagan Government can't miss."

The Skulkin looked around at each other. "Alright," Nuckal said. "2nd Platoon, or what's left of you… let's get a move on!"

The Skulkin and the Rangers ran side by side, covering each other rather than shooting each other. They made it to the compound, where one detachment of Rangers was already doing work.

Sergeant Skylar Chen led said detachment of 15, moving swiftly and quietly. "I feel like we're going in circles here." A Ranger just behind Skylar said.

"I know how you feel, but we've gotta keep moving. If we don't we'll miss our opportunity." Skylar replied. "And how do you think High Command would feel if-"

A Cultist wielding a DR-21 popped out from around a corner and was immediately shot dead by three different Rangers.

The group reached a stairwell. "Alright. We'll split up. I'll head downstairs with six of you. The other eight will go upstairs. Take no prisoners. Hooah?"

"Hooah!" The group called back.

They split. Skylar made her way down the elegant stairwell until she reached about halfway. "I hear breathing," she whispered.

The man behind her nodded. "Just say the Countersign."

Skylar's breathing began to speed up. "Star!" she called down. "Star!"

There was a few moments of silence, before they got their response: "Jamanakai!"

Skylar and about 4 other Rangers behind her exhaled. They still moved with caution as they reached the bottom step. The only lights were rickety light bulbs that kept the room dimmed.

She stepped forward to get a better look at the group. "Is Ghost here? We ne-"

She stopped, frozen in her tracks, as her father slowly looked up at her.

"Skylar?" He asked, a large bruise on his head. "Is that you?"

She stood still, eyes wide, not saying a word. When a man put a cold hand on her shoulder, she yelped and almost raised her rifle.

A man wearing a black uniform and wicked grin looked down at her. "Morro- er, Ghost, if you prefer, is out in the courtyard. Lots of gunfire coming from up there. I would go find out what his situation is." He had a foreign accent that Skylar couldn't exactly place.

She just nodded quickly, before pointing to the stairwell, ordering her Rangers to head upstairs. She prepared to follow, when another cold hand grabbed her ankle. She turned to see her father, bellowing on the floor.

"Skylar," he pleaded, "Skylar, please don't go! I'm sorry for what I did, honest!"

Skylar shook off his hand and kicked him square in the face, adding another bruise to him. "You don't deserve forgiveness. 3rd Battalion, move out!"

The Rangers ran up the stairs and were immediately met by the other Rangers who were tasked with going upstairs. They were all covered in dust and/or hacking and coughing, and Skylar noticed that they were a man short.

"What the hell happened up there, Tokawi!?" Skylar asked, referring to a private that was missing his helmet and was bleeding out of his left ear.

"We… there was a man, a man with nothing but some baggy pants and a pair of dirty shoes on. I think he was a pirate, because he tossed an IED at us and killed Corporal Nuyat."

Skylar sighed. "You guys need to stay out of the fight from now on. You look like you're all about to fall apart. Stay here and shoot anyone who isn't wearing a Skulkin or Ninjagan uniform. Tokawi, you're in charge."

That said, Skylar took her six Rangers and headed towards the main courtyard. She had studied maps of the compound before the raid had commenced, so she knew where to go.

Unbeknownst to her, Rangers were already fighting in the courtyard. "HQ, this is Samurai 2-2, requesting another fire mission, over!" Lars shouted into his radio as he hid behind a blown-up cargo truck.

"Negative 2-2, Squadron D is unavailable at this time. We're sending another HK-25 Transport your way, ETA fifteen minutes, over."

Lars cursed and strapped his radio back onto his belt. He grabbed his L-19 and stood up, aiming into the courtyard.

From his vantage point he could see all sorts of chaos. A few men in black uniforms lead around 120 Skulkin against just under 200 Pirates.

Nuckal was standing next to him, sending rounds downrange from his DR-25. When he ran out of ammunition in his magazine, he ducked down and turned to Lars. "This is the last batch of them! If we get through this, the whole Compound is liberated!" he shouted, slamming another magazine into his rifle.

Lars nodded, before hearing a _Clink!_ and turning to see a small hand-thrown fragmentation grenade roll by. He turned to Nuckal, who was oblivious to the situation, and dived into him. "GET DOWN!" he yelled, holding the Skulkin down.

The grenade went off, causing a large explosion that sent shrapnel flying. The front of the truck was blown to pieces. Lars felt a pain in his foot as the explosion past and the ringing set in. He flipped onto his back and off of Nuckal.

The Darese man leaned over and checked Lars for shrapnel. He found nothing on his chest, nor his legs or arms. He checked the feet last, and grimaced at what he saw.

A sharp of glass had pierced the bottom of Lars' right foot. It hadn't gone all the way through, but Nuckal could tell that he was out of this fight.

The ringing in Lars' ears left, and was almost immediately replaced by an immense pain in his foot. He heard Nuckal yelling in Darese, then the pain became too bad to bear and he passed out.

Colonel Rogers realized he and his men were fighting a losing battle. He fired into the head of a pirate, then ducked as another swung a baseball bat at him. Rogers hit the ground, then fired twice more, hitting the Cultist square in the chest.

The Colonel stood up and immediately felt something hit him hard in the chest. His only armor was a Kevlar vest, which stopped the bullet almost entirely.

He fell on his back as three Pirates began running towards him. He grabbed his P12S and tried to fire, but realized he was out of ammo. He threw his empty handgun at the Cultists and reached down to grab his combat knife. _'If I'm goin' out,'_ he thought, _'I'm going out swinging.'_

The first Pirate reached him and aimed down as though to kill him. Rogers reached forward and stabbed the man in the calf, causing him to scream. He then grabbed the Pirates DR-21 and fired at the two remaining pirates, taking them down.

From her vantage point inside, Skylar Chen could see the fight going on. "Jesus Christ," she muttered. "Didn't know Mad Dog Rogers was such a badass."

She turned back to her Rangers and took a head count. Six soldiers, ready to die for Ninjago. "Alright! We've got some brave guys out there on both sides of the spectrum. I know you guys may not like it, but we've got to help those Skulkin fighters. Now let's go kick some ass!"

The Rangers cheered and readied their rifles. Back on the hill, the two Snipers were doing everything in their power to keep the Pirates at bay, both in the courtyard and against themselves. Many of the retreating Pirates that had left the compound were now regrouping and charging against the snipers on the hill.

Luicha Khatosi had ditched his M28 in favor of his standard CL-19 and P12S. He had also dropped his ghillie suit, now clad in a short-sleeved red polo and Kevlar vest, with cargo pants. He now looked like a true operator.

He fired down the hill at the opposing forces who came in endless waves. Henry was still in sniper gear, trying to cover the men in the compound. He gunned down a pirate wielding a DR-21, then hit another who was preparing to throw a grenade.

Luicha heard a _Click!_ as the last round left his CL-19. He reached for another magazine and realized that he was clear out.

He threw down his rifle and reached for his side holster, grabbing his P12S. He then continued firing at the Pirates, who kept charging. The Darese-turned-Ninjagan man turned to his partner. "Hank!"

The sniper halted his fire for a moment to watch his friend.

"If we go out, we go out protecting out brothers on the ground! Hooyah?" Luicha said, using the Navy's variation of the Army's Hooah.

"Hooyah." Henry responded, and went back to firing.

Luicha fired into the chest of a Pirate, dropping him. Another who was a mere 10 yards ahead took a bullet to the groin, and a third was hit in the lung. Luicha switched magazines, firing once more.

Henry began changing the magazine in his M28, until he saw it. Out of the corner of his eye, a pirate threw a grenade up the hill. It rolled behind them, and he only had time to scream, "FRAG! WATCH IT!"

Luicha heard his partner scream the phrase, and then he was blown forward. His ears began to ring and he watched as Pirates ran up to him and began kicking at his body. He coughed blood onto the rocky ground below, and began cursing at the Pirates in Darese.

He saw a Pirate pick up Luicha's P12S and aim it at Henry's head.

The sniper closed his eyes, and heard firing from a CL-19 come from above. The Pirates began shouting as a helicopter roared overhead. Four men fast-roped from the HK-25 and began firing on the pirates, taking them out en masse. eHe

When the last Cultist fell, a man with operator's gear and a baseball cap ran over to Henry. "Hey, hey! You alright?!" he shouted, grabbed the sniper's arm.

Henry nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Check on Luicha."

The man looked confused, before he saw the other operator lying on the ground, motionless. He ran over, tapping Luicha's shoulder. It took a moment, but Luicha finally got onto his elbows.

"Sergeant Khatosi? I'm Sergeant Liam Hudson, from NNSOG's Team Beehive. We heard you boys in Team Ice needed a hand, so here we are." He offered Luicha a hand, which he gladly accepted.

Henry stood up and was immediately met by another Operator wielding a M28. "Sergeant Henry Jones, I presume?"

The sniper nodded under his ghillie suit. "Y'all can call me Hank. Who might you be?"

The operator grinned. "Don't worry 'bout it. You'll find out in debriefing. All you have to know is that you and I are going to be staying up here and providing sniper support while the others head down the hill and to the compound."

Hank nodded and grabbed his M28. Luicha picked up his CL-19, before realizing it was out of ammunition.

Hudson noticed this, and tossed a magazine. Luicha caught it and shoved it into his CL-19. "Let's get a move on. Those Rangers aren't going to save themselves." He said, before taking off down the hill.

Lars Panrocka slowly opened his eyes. There were no sounds except for chattering in Darese and Ninjagan, as well as the sound of fires roaring in the distance.

He tried to get to his feet, but was immediately held back by his friend Skylar Chen. "Easy there, Panrocka. You ain't moving around on your own with THAT thing still in your foot."

He took in his surroundings and realized he was in the back of an HK-25. There were quite a few Rangers inside, as well as six beefy-looking operator guys.

"Are… are those NNSOG?" He whispered. "And did we win?" He finally noticed another figure in a stained purple cloak with a bag over his head. "And who is that?"

Skylar turned to the man and chuckled. "First off, those operators are NNSOG. They damn well saved our asses out there. Second off, we won with flying colors. Only four casualties including one of the pilots in the downed HK-25. Thirdly, that is my Old Man, Snake Eyes."

The man with the sack over his head turned. "I heard that! Why don't you love me anymore?"

The Ranger next to him wacked him with the butt of his rifle. "Shut it, Crazy! Your Pirates are dead, and your Cult is no more! JUST QUIT IT!"

The cloaked man was silent after that.

"One more thing," Skylar added. "One of the High-ranking Skulkin wanted me to give this to you." She handed him a sort of makeshift card.

Lars flipped onto his back and opened it. Inside was a poorly drawn picture of a grenade, along with the words: _"Thanks for saving my life! See you on the battle field, Ninjagan! –Love, Nuckal."_

Lars laid his head back, chuckled, and prepared for the long ride back to the Aircraft Carrier.

 **Well, that was a long one. But it was the last chapter before Warriors of Christmas, so it was worth it! Once again, sorry I couldn't get this out on time. Warriors of Christmas will most likely be out by Christmas Morning. Consider it my gift to you for the Holidays. Adios!**


	13. Warriors of Christmas

**Well, it's been a solid four and months since I've started these one-shots, and about seven months since I wrote the first chapter of 'Warriors of Steel', all building up to this one epic finale. It was one of the most requested one-shots [tied with 'Before I Go' and 'One that must not be named'], and I decided to put it off until now. Why? Because I'm a real tease! Oh, and I also wanted to tie it in with REAL Christmas for effect. But enough chat! Without further ado, here's 'Warriors of Christmas'!**

 **Warriors of Christmas**

Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear fire helmets, others wear lab coats and blue scrubs. Plenty wear the uniforms of soldiers of police officers. But more often than not, a hero is just a normal person who has the courage to do something extraordinary for the benefit of humanity.

And then there's Kai Smith.

To be fair, the man had a procrastination problem. But to put off _all_ of his Christmas shopping to Christmas Eve, and then to decide that it would be a good idea to get everyone's gift from the local thrift store? That was, as a black-haired friend of his once told him, "a new low."

Kai raced up and down the racks, grabbing any shirts, knick-knacks, or sports items that would prove useful as a stocking stuffer. _'Another year, another Christmas Eve racing throughout town to grab some presents for mi amigos.'_ He thought. _'I bet my friends don't do this. I mean, except for Jay. And Cole. I don't know what those two guys are doing half the time.'_

Back at the Smith Manor, said two guys were doing something very odd on the living room carpet with the other residents of the household. They were playing 'Spin the Bottle'.

Nya Smith, sister of the ever-loved Kai, currently had her head in her hands. "Why are we doing this again?" she questioned to the two males sitting across from her.

Jay, her brown-haired boyfriend, merely shrugged. "It makes me feel young again." He replied, running a hand across his face. "I mean, I probably look 10 years younger already!"

Cole, his best friend, snorted. "Jay, you _always_ look like a 12 year old. I mean, did you even go through puberty, or are you still waiting on your growth spurt?"

Jay shook his head. "Nuh-uh, that's your job. At least I'm not 5'8 and 25." He smirked, gesturing to the man's shortness.

"No, you're right Jay. You're 5'9 and 22." Cole said, placing the bottle down with a sly smirk on his face.

"Why you proud, proud little bastard. Wipe that creepy-ass smile off your face and spin."

Cole took a look around at his possible contenders for a quick kiss. First up, Nya Smith. She was more like a sister to him than anything, so a little peck wouldn't do much harm. Next, Zane Julien. The poor boy had been coaxed in by Jay's persuasive words, and now he just sat there, mute and waiting for the inevitable to come. Third, Jay Walker. Cole almost had to laugh. He would probably drink sulfuric acid before he did that. Finally, Seleil Motnahp.

To describe Seleil, Cole couldn't use merely a few words. She was, to put it best, perfect. A Chemistry Major at Ninjago University, the daughter of a mayor, beautiful, independent; hell, Cole would even say that he loved her. But Cole's act of infidelity a few weeks prior had stained all that. Of course, Seleil didn't know about it. But that didn't change anything. Now, Cole couldn't look straight at her anymore. The guilt was too much.

"Hey, Ninjago to Space Cole. You gonna spin, or stare endlessly off into the void some more?" Jay said, causing Cole to shake his head.

"S-sorry, what?"

Jay cupped his hands around his mouth, and half-sang half-shouted at Cole: "THIS IS GROUND CONTROL TO DONNEGAN! YOU'VE REALLY MA-"

His singing was interrupted when Cole backhanded him, causing him to flinch and back up.

"Don't you _ever_ bring up Fritz Donnegan in my presence again. Am I clear?" Cole said.

Nya shrugged. "Hey, I kind of liked him. And Cliff Gordon looks quite a bit like Jay."

Seleil looked at Jay. "Yeah, you're right. That's weird."

Cole groaned slightly. "Enough!" he spun the bottle, watching it spin quickly in circles on the carpet.

The bottle slowed. It appeared as though it was about to land on Seleil, and Cole felt a rush of embarrassment and joy at the same time.

But at that exact moment, Kai Smith shoved open the front door, allowing a large draft to fill the room. The draft pushed the bottle ever so further, until it stopped in front of one Jay Walker.

The two men looked at each other, horrified. Jay turned towards Kai, and quietly muttered "Kai, what the f-"

"PRESENTS!" Kai interrupted. "I BROUGHT PRESENTS!"

Jay sighed, and prepared himself for the utter shame he was about to endure. He turned to his girlfriend, seeking moral support. Instead, he saw Nya wielding a flip phone and a mischievous smile. "Whenever you're ready." She taunted.  
About 30 minutes later, Jay had _finally_ washed off his lips to his satisfaction. He thought he still heard Cole retching in the bathroom upstairs.

The chestnut-haired boy splashed some water on his face and turned off the faucet. He wiped his hands off with the towel and looked at himself in the mirror.

Here he was, a 22 year old with a white T-shirt and some cargos on, about to go back out into the world as a Comedian killer in the skies.

Jay sighed, knowing that he would have to go back in 8 days, 14 hours, and 23 minutes. But who's counting?

He didn't mind going back because of the thought of death. That thought was quickly extinguished when one was soaring through the skies. No, he didn't like going back because it meant that he would have to see Nya, the love of his life and the only woman in the world for him, cry.

He hated that. He hated it when Nya cried. Sure, everyone cries. In fact, Jay had cried only a few weeks prior when one of his pairs of fighter-jet themed boxers was shriveled in the dryer. But it was something about Nya crying that made him want to punch the person who was responsible. Knowing that it was him mostly just made him punch walls.

Jay walked out of the bathroom and waltzed towards the kitchen. He checked the clock, noticing that it said 12:21 on it. Sure enough, all other inhabitants of the Smith Manor had gone upstairs. Jay decided to join them, heading up the elegant staircase.

He turned the corner, and entered the first room on the left. He pushed open the door slowly and as quietly as possible, but it ended up making a very loud creak when he tried to close it.

He then stepped on a broken cracker than had probably been dropped by Kai. _'Curse Kai,'_ Jay thought angrily, _'curse him and his spiky haircut! I hope he gets stuck to a wall with those damn spikes!'_

Jay quietly turned towards Nya to see if his antics had awoken her. To his surprise and delight, she had not been disturbed, or so it seemed.

Jay went to the right side of the bed and placed a hand on Nya's shoulder. He sat down and sighed, observing the goddess that somehow he had received as his girlfriend.

"You're terrible at being quiet, you know that?" He heard his girlfriend say. Nya slowly opened her eyes and grinned at Jay.

The pilot feigned his pain, putting a hand on his heart. "I know it shouldn't hurt, but it really, really does sting." He said sarcastically.

Nya pouted. "Aw, muffin. Can I make it better?"

Jay sighed and smiled down at his girlfriend.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You. You and how you're so beautiful, smart, funny, and how blessed I am to have you." He responded genuinely.

"Watch yourself Jay. That holiday spirit is getting to you. Next thing you know, you'll be down on one knee begging me to marry you." Nya said, sitting up and grinning.

"Oh, you wish I was down on one knee trying to get you to marry me. But it ain't gonna happen this year. You'll just have to wait." The Walker replied, moving his face closer to hers.

"Oh, you're such a tease." Nya said, still moving closer.

"I know." Jay responded, before moving in and closing the gap between them.

Their lips locked, and the holiday was complete for the two lovers.

In the other room, however, things were much less blissful.

Zane Julien sat silently in the darkness of his room in a Lotus position. He took deep breaths, keeping his eyes closed.

Every man has his way around PTSD. Zane knew that Cole could only stop his nightmares when Seleil was with him. She made excellent comfort for him, anyone could see that.

But Zane had no significant other, no lady in his life to help him at night. So he meditated. He had been meditating since his father had been killed some 13 years prior. It was extremely intense at this time of the year, as the anniversary of his father's death was only two days prior.

The Julien knew that his friends were well aware of his stress, but they tried to play it down with holiday cheer, trying to get him to be happy during the Holidays. Zane played along, but inside, he was stricken with sorrow and grief.

Zane took pleasure in knowing that he had friends who tried to comfort him. Some people have no friends, and live their lives alone, stricken with internal and external grief. Zane was one of the lucky ones, and he tried to remind himself of that every day.

Zane's eyes flew open as his alarm went off, the quick beeping causing him to snap out of his meditative state. "That's all for today…" he muttered to himself, silently switching off the alarm.

He laid down and pulled the covers over his bare chest. _'Tomorrow is a better day.'_ He though before allowing his eyes to drift closed.

Across the hall from Jay and Nya, Cole and Seleil were kneeling on either side of the girl's bed. They had told each other that they would be in bed by 10:00 P.M. so they could get a good night's sleep and wake up early in the morning. However, their plan had been interrupted by an intense match of Chess that could not end until one of the kings fell.

Cole's face was illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp on Seleil's dresser. His bushy eyebrows were furrowed, and he rubbed his chin with his hand as he pondered which move to make, observing every corner of the board.

Seleil looked between Cole and the board every so often. "Y'know, if you like looking at the board so much, why don't you just sleep in its room?" She said, trying to intimidate him and get under his skin.

"Ah, Seleil of Nom," he muttered. "You always were unholy." He followed up his statement by moving his rook across the board to snag her bishop.

"Ah, but don't forget Cole Brookstone of Jamanakai: I'm the Queen." She moved her queen diagonally, seizing his rook.

"I could be your king." He replied, moving his knight into the right side of the board, putting her head piece in his sights. "Check."

She examined the board for about 15 seconds. "You'll have to work for it." She moved her own rook, catching Cole off guard and taking his knight off of the playing board.

"Oh, believe me, I can work for it." Cole moved his own Queen across the board, right in front of her King. "Check again."

Seleil moved her knight, placing it in front of his Queen. "But do you really want it?" She asked, looking up at him.

Cole nodded. "By God, I want it." He moved his bishop back across the board, pinning her king for the last time. "Check… mate."

The two locked eyes, taking each other in.

"Dammit Cole, I can't take it anymore!" Seleil shouted, shoving the chessboard off the bed and onto the floor. She crawled on all fours across the bed towards Cole, flipping her hair out of the way.

Cole met her halfway, enveloping her in a deep kiss. He pulled her closer, furthering the moment of passion. The two finally broke off, gasping for air, their faces only two inches apart.

"Get ready, Cole Brookstone, because it's about to get weird." Seleil said, grinning seductively at him and standing up off the bed.

Cole just stood, towering over his soon-to-be girlfriend, and smirked, before shoving her back onto the bed. He leaned forward, putting a hand on either side of her. "Let's do it." He said, before going in for the attack.

In the final bedroom of the Smith Manor, the inhabitant was already asleep. Kai Smith was having probably his most pleasant dream in a while.

 _The spiky-haired Ranger raised his bottle towards the ocean's waves. A beautiful sunset was visible for all to see on the sun-soaked beach._

" _To us!" He shouted, turning towards all of his friends._

 _Everyone was there. Jay, Cole, Zane, Nya, Seleil, Skylor, Lars, and even Soto, the local bartender. Everyone raised their respecting drinks and called back, "To us!"_

" _Now, where are those other two people? There drinks are going to evaporate with this sun if they don't hurry!" Kai asked, and was responded to by laughter from his friends._

" _Oh, we're right here, Kai!" responded a warm and elder voice. Kai turned to see his two parents, now elders, walking towards him. "Sorry we're late." Kenji said. "We just had to stop and admire this wonderful view!"_

" _It is beautiful, isn't it?" Skylor said, stepping forward._

" _Beautiful like you," Kai said, smiling at her._

" _Let's go for a swim, shall we?" Nya asked, before taking off for the water with Jay, Seleil, and Cole in tow._

 _Kai held out his arm. "Shall we?"_

 _Skylor nodded, looping her arm around his. "We shall." And with that, they strolled off to the ocean._

 _Skylor was the first in. "C'mon, the water's fine!"_

 _Kai ran over and dived into the water head first. It was freezing._

The Ranger awoke suddenly to large amounts of cold water being poured onto his head.

He shot up and looked around for the perpetrators. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Jay and Cole shouted, holding an empty bucket that used to be filled with water in their hands. "Our gift to you!"

Kai wiped his face off, and glared at the two, causing them to slowly back up. Kai's glare quickly turned to a smile. "I can't stay mad at you guys on Christmas. But was that really my gift?"

Cole just grinned and shook his head. "Nah, real gifts are downstairs. Hurry up, we're making French toast!"

Kai just shook his head and prepared to start the day.

He first dismissed Cole and Jay, who dashed out like happy children. He then put on some jeans, brushed his teeth, added another pound and a half of gel to his hair, and slapped on some deodorant.

His final stop was to his closet, where his shirts were. "T-shirt, collared shirt, another T-shirt, and… ooh! What do we have here!"

30 seconds later, Kai Smith was wearing an oversized, itchy black and red sweater with a picture of a fire on it. "Perfect!" he said, before running out to meet his family at the Christmas tree.

He went downstairs and immediately was greeted by his sister giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, bro." she said, before walking to the living room and plopping down on the couch next to Jay.

Kai moved over to the living room as well, sitting alone in the love seat. He looked over to see Cole with his arm around Seleil, holding her close. "Well, you seem quite touchy-feely over there."

Jay gave Kai a confused look. "What, you didn't hear? It lasted all night. I don't think I got any sleep!"  
"Hey, hey!" Cole interjected. "I'm not complaining about what _I_ heard from _your_ room, Walker!"

"At least I'm not the one shouting 'I'll get the-'"

"WOAH, WOAH! Easy now gentlemen! Let's not take it _that_ far, or you'll spoil my appetite." Kai interjected, already feeling sick to his stomach now that he was imagining just what went on in their bedrooms the night prior.

All that went away when he sniffed the air. An excellent aroma had filled the living room. Kai immediately identified it as French toast. "Is Zane cooking?"

"Who else?" Responded Seleil, snuggling closer to her new boyfriend.

On cue, Zane entered the room with his famed pink apron on over a white collared polo. "French toast is almost ready, everyone." He removed his apron, setting it on the coffee table as soon as he walked to the center of the room.

Nya smiled at him. "It smells heavenly, Zane."

"Thank you." He replied, sitting down on the couch, forcing the other four people to scoot closer to each other. Not that they minded.

"Now what, presents?" Kai asked. The others nodded. "I'll go first, then." He got up from the loveseat, going to the large tree that sat in the corner of the living room.

He looked around for a while, before picking up an extremely large box directly in front of the tree.

"From Jay and Cole. To Kai." He read the label, before tearing the not-so-careful wrapping off of the large box. It was a cardboard box inside, held together by tape. The two boys who gifted it to him were giggling softly, but Kai didn't care. He was too busy thinking about the big gift they had gotten him.

He ripped the tape and threw open the box to find…

"SIXTY TWO BOTTLES OF HAIR GEL!?" He shouted, stepping back in shock.

The two boys could hold it in no longer, and burst out laughing as Kai slowly backed away. "EVIL!" he shouted. "EVIL!"

"Oh, get over it and pick up another present." Nya said, herself trying to hide laughter.

Kai slowly backed away, still shuddering, and moved to the tree. He got another box, this time smaller. "To Kai, from Sis." He read. "Thank you, Nya." He glanced up at her, watching as she nodded once.

He once again tore open the carefully wrapped present, revealing a lighter. "Wow," Kai said sarcastically with a grin, "Thanks for trying to revive my old smoking habit." He said.

"Anything for my big bro." She said. "And that's to be used for survival situations, not for lighting cigarettes and cigars, you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah." Kai said, before slipping the lighter into his pocket.

He moved on to Zane's present next. This was probably the neatest. Kai took care in unwrapping the gift to find a slim white box inside. He pulled up the top and took what was inside: a red apron.

"Zane," he said, "I can't cook."

"Then I shall teach you." The man responded.

"Free lessons… from the Master?"

By now, Jay and Cole had calmed themselves and were now looking in awe.

Kai finished with his gift from Seleil. It was small.

Kai once again tore it open to find:

"A bottle of hair gel. Another one."

Once more, Cole and Jay were sent into fits of laughter.

And so, the rest of them went, one by one, receiving gifts.

Zane received a cook book from Nya, a little robot from Jay, weights from Cole, a '100-Cent' album from Kai, and a spatula from Seleil.

Cole received an absolutely ordinary average rock from Kai and Jay, a 'one free meal of your choice' card from Zane, a DVD version of _'Catablanca'_ from Nya, and the highlight was Seleil's gift.

Cole picked the box up from under the Christmas tree. It was quite small, but Cole couldn't wait to see what was inside.

He cracked it open. "A gift certificate for 300 dollars to the cake shop!" He looked up at his girlfriend, with tears forming in his eyes. "You… you really do know me."

"Moving on…" Kai muttered.

Nya received a tazer from Kai ("…because you'll never know when you'll need it."), a romance novel from Zane, a bottle of champagne from Seleil and Cole, and a sapphire necklace from Jay.

"But that's not all!" Jay said, a smirk on his face. "Wait here."

Cole's smile dropped. "You didn't. You didn't actually, right? It was just a suggestion, right?!"

"OH YES I DID!" Jay shouted, dashing upstairs to the closet of his old room.

He came back down with a large box, before setting it down on the carpet.

Kai had become suspicious. "Jay, if it is what I think it is, then I'll have your head."

Nya began unwrapping the box, getting to the top in no time. She opened the top and gasped. She reached inside and pulled out a small puppy. "It's a dog!" She shouted, her face full of wonder.

"GOD DAMMIT, JAY!" Kai shouted. "How the hell are you going to keep this thing around the house!"

"Kai, it's a puppy!" She said, sticking the small dog out in front of him. "HE'S SO CUTE!" She whirled around to face her boyfriend. "What breed is he?"

"Rhodesian Ridgeback-Boxer mix. Powerful dog." He said, still grinning sheepishly.

"How am I going to keep it around the University?" She asked.

"I already dealt with it." Seleil said. "The dog's registered and can stay in your dorm on campus."

"I'll call him Zeus!" Nya squealed, before kissing the small dog's head.

After a moment of trauma where Kai fainted over a new addition to the family, the present opening was back on.

Jay went next. He received a screwdriver from Cole and Kai ("Use it to tighten some of the loose screws in your head!"), a bottle of soil from the Sea of Sand from Zane, new sneakers from Seleil, and a kiss from Nya, which was corny, but at least Jay enjoyed it.

Finally, Seleil went. She gained a joint gift from Zane, Jay, Kai, and Nya: a new Television for her room. She also gained quite a special gift from Cole.

She grabbed the box, shaking it lightly. It was a perfect cube, carefully wrapped by Cole.

She slid off the wrapping paper and read the small notecard on top. It was printed in standard military font, and it read simply, _'Nom Letters to Seleil Motnaph: Courtesy of the Ninjago Marine Corps.'_

She tore open the box and pulled out the small bundle of letters. She felt tears enter her eyes as she shuffled them, looking at who each letter was from.

Cole rubbed the back of his head. "The Marines shut off mail from Nom since the, well, incident, but I managed to sneak these through. I thought you might like them, and, I just, uh-"

Cole was cut off by Seleil enveloping him in a passionate kiss which he, after a few seconds of shock, gladly accepted.

She broke the kiss and put her forehead on his. Tears were now slipping down her cheeks, leaking wet streaks in their wake. "I love you so much, Cole Brookstone."

The young man opposite her just smiled, his eyes still closed. "I love you too."

The couple stayed like that for another solid 15 seconds, before Zane decided it was time to bring the whole morning to a close.

"So," he asked, looking around at his family, "Who wants French Toast?"

 **Ah Zane, you always do know when to be quirky. Anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanza, etc. to all my readers. I've had an absolute blast writing these one-shots, and who knows? Maybe I'll slip in one or two more between now and the sequel to Warriors of Steel. Still thinking of a name on that one. But anyway, until next time, adios!**


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